In the Arms of Angels
by cause.A.scene
Summary: Tag to Miller's Crossing, then some. - When Sheppard travels down to earth for a few days and finds Jeannie waiting for him, they end up in a sticky situation. No pairings, Spoilers for Miller's Crossing. More details inside. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone, I'm back! Got a new little idea here. It's a little different than most you'll have read simply because its not John in the regular situations and he isn't with the people you normally see him with (cough- his team). I just wanted to explore this other side of Sheppard, and hopefully you guys will like my interpretation.

**Rating: **T, maybe?

**Pairings/Characters: **No pairings. Main characters are John and Jeannie.

**Spoilers: **Mostly just Miller's Crossing from season 4, but might be a few more minor slips from other season four episodes. (The only one I can think of doesn't go into detail and won't spoil anyone who hasn't seen it because it's very vague.)

**Warnings: **A few curse words here and there, a little violence, and religious referneces. None of it is offense to any one religion, and there's hardly any, but just so you all know.

**Summary: **Jeannie meets up with John when he comes down to Earth for a few days, and they get into some trouble. Basically, I wanted to explore Sheppard in a different light, so I pulled him away from his team and away from regular military conditions. About it, really.

**Huge Thanks: **To my wonderful beta, _natamdrachen _for putting up with a whole lot to beta this. Thanks!!

Alright, that's it. Hope you all enjoy it...

**In the Arms of Angels** **- Part 1**

* * *

She sat nervously, straight-backed and alert in the cushioned chair. She found its warmth and comfort misleading in relation to the top-secret underground military base in which it sat. She remembered not too long ago sitting in a chair just like this one, wondering what she was about to see and why it was all such a big deal. It hadn't taken very long to discover the latter, but it had been an unnerving event nonetheless. 

And as Jeannie sat, she wondered what she was getting herself into. Granted, she was not heading out into space or going to another galaxy, but what she was about to do did warrant a good deal of uncertainty and anxiety. She wasn't too sure why, but guessed it was because it was going to be just her and Colonel Sheppard.

_The_ Colonel John Sheppard. Honestly, he seemed like a character in a book or movie: the good-looking fighter pilot who would do anything for another, and yet had so many insecurities… okay, well that may have been her experience with romance novels talking, because honestly, she didn't know much about Colonel Sheppard at all. However, she knew all she needed to know through their brief encounters and by the mere fact that her brother trusted the man with his life.

Only months ago she and Mer had been rescued by him. She still had dreams about that day; everything from the initial kidnapping, to waking up after the medically induced coma. Every now and then, she would dream of the moment in which John Sheppard came bursting through the door.

That was another reason she was nervous; she had only seen John when he initially rescued them, but after that, he was nowhere to be found. She knew he had a lot to do with her being found, but lately, something else had been on her mind.

As of late, Mer had been sending a lot more emails, talking about his everyday life and inquiring about hers. Jeannie knew it was because the ordeal had scared him and he was still feeling guilty, but amongst all of the forced talk, he would let slip little things. Things that would go unnoticed in a quick read-through, but Jeannie had learned very quickly to read her brother's emails carefully. In doing so, she determined there was quite a bit that happened that day, that she didn't know about.

The possibilities of what actually happened that day and the meaning behind the unwritten words the vague report housed haunted her almost every day. She knew there was more because of her brother's cryptic emails, but knew she couldn't ask him - their relationship just wasn't like that. While she hadn't acted on her brother's suggestion strictly to bombard the Colonel with questions, she was considering it a definite possibility now.

That brought her to the reason she was here in the first place. A few days earlier, she had received her latest email from Mer after an unusually long wait. According to him, things had gotten a little hairy with the Replicators but they had managed to defeat them, or so he hoped. Now, Colonel Sheppard was at the SGC for a few days to brief them and take a required two-day R&R. He mentioned that John wouldn't have any family to meet up with him, and she could go pick him up.

At first, she had thought there was no way possible, but then, something had changed. She remembered some of her brothers words: "_He did a more than anyone thinks,_" and "_You really have him to thank for a lot._" She knew that in order for Mer to say something like that about anyone, he had to really mean it. In the end, she decided to come.

So, here she sat, waiting for him to arrive while several different possible greetings ran through her head at lightning speed. It had been over half-an-hour, and yet, it felt like time was passing so fast. Finally, she heard voices and footsteps outside the room she was in, then saw the door handle turn and open.

"Jeannie," John Sheppard said in a surprised tone, stopping in the doorway upon seeing her. She immediately stood up and walked closer to him. For a second, she wasn't quite sure what to do, but before she could really stop and consider it, her arms wrapped around the tall, muscular man. It was a little awkward, knowing that she had caught him off guard and remembered her brother's words on how bad the colonel was with physical touch. But it was how she greeted people she cared for.

The hug didn't last long and she felt her arms pulling away as he spoke. "I didn't expect you to be here…"

The breath caught in Jeannie's throat. "Oh… uh, well Mer said that you were coming and that you could… use the company or something…," she stuttered, not having considered the possibility that Mer hadn't mentioned to the colonel that she may be there. "I can leave…"

"Oh, no," he replied, smiling lopsidedly. "You're fine. I'm glad to see you. How are things? How's Caleb and Madison?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised and happy to see her.

"They're great. We're all good. Caleb's parents live close by and he and Maddie are visiting them for a while," she answered. "But how are you? Mer mentioned the Replicators… congratulations!"

He smiled, though more warily this time. "Thanks. Just got done with the debriefing."

"Yeah? Well, maybe we can get some lunch or… or whatever you want to do."

He seemed a little confused at first and frowned slightly, making her stomach tighten. "And this was _Rodney's _idea?" he asked with a nervous grin.

"Yeah, why?"

He seemed to detect that she was feeling uncomfortable with the situation, and quickly changed his demeanor. "Oh no. It's just that I didn't think he'd really trust me alone with you," he said, then quickly added, "not that he shouldn't… I would never… "

She felt her stomach loosen and laughed. "Oh. Well, I guess you've earned his trust," she replied, trying to ease the awkwardness. "I think he just wanted you to have someone here when you got done. But, if you want some alone time, let me know and I'll give you some space," she continued, feeling that it was necessary to let him know this; she came here for him and really didn't want him to feel obligated to keep her company.

He just chuckled. "No, that's fine. I appreciate it, actually. Beats the hell out of wandering these streets alone."

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, I thought so too. But, don't tell Mer I told you that. I don't think he wants you to know he actually cares."

"Oh, don't worry," he reassured. "So anyway, what do you feel like eating? It's been a little while, but I think I still remember the places around here. You're a vegetarian, right?"

"Oh, my husband is, but I still eat the occasional meat. Besides, I can get a salad just about anywhere."

"Okay, well if you're sure you don't mind, because I've been dying for a steak," he said as he headed for the door. That's when Jeannie realized something.

"Oh, um, Colonel?" she stated awkwardly, still not sure what to call him to his face. But, he turned around. She grinned and pointed at his uniform that had his badges and other things, but most importantly, the Atlantis crest. "You plan on changing?"

He looked down at his shirt and his face changed into an expression of realization. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea. The thought of steak has got me all turned around. I'll be right back," he replied before exiting the room, leaving her, once again, alone.

Jeannie decided that the first meeting had not gone too bad at all. It was a little odd at first, but it wasn't too bad now. In fact, he seemed more human than she would have thought. Of course, she had seen him "off the clock" on Atlantis, but that was still the post he was in charge of and she could detect the protective gleam in his eyes at all times. Now, things were a little different. He seemed more relaxed. More real.

After another ten minutes of waiting, Colonel Sheppard returned. He was wearing loose-fitting, slightly faded jeans with a button-up white shirt. And at that moment, she couldn't decided if she liked his uniform better, or this new outfit.

Finishing a rather tedious check-out process from Cheyenne Mountain, Jeannie found herself sitting in the passenger side seat of a rental car heading towards some unknown restaurant. She knew the Colonel was capable of driving but still found herself slightly impressed at how well he was able to, even though he spent so much time using other modes of transportation. Maybe they were similar to driving a car.

"So, your family's been good?" he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the car's interior.

Jeannie couldn't help but smile at his seemingly sincere interest in her family. "Yes. Caleb got a raise and Maddie's doing excellent in school. The teachers are wanting to move her up a level," she replied proudly.

"That's great," he replied in a genuine tone. "I wouldn't expect anything less from her though. It's in her blood, I would think."

She could feel a slight blush coming on, and had to look out the window. "Thanks."

"Yeah, so are they going to be joining us at any time?"

"I was actually going to leave that up to you," Jeannie answered. "I thought you might be tired and not be up to dealing with a kid or a lot of people."

"I don't mind. I spend a lot of time around the same people, so its nice to talk to others," he said. "Besides, I don't think I've ever really been able to have a real conversation with your husband. The last time we met was a little… well, you know."

Jeannie bit her lips as she remembered the uneasy conversation she had had with Caleb about a week after her return, centering around Colonel Sheppard and Ronon. She felt bad for him, already having to deal with his wife's disappearance, then adding two very large, manly-men storming into his house. Not that she would trade her husband for anyone in the world, but manly was not a word she associated with Caleb, which she kind of liked. Made him more real and less like a fictional character.

She laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, I can imagine."

The rest of the ride was rather silent, only talking about little things like the weather and all the interesting new things that had happened on Earth. It was sometimes hard to remember just how out-of-touch the Colonel was with life on Earth. But before she knew it, the car was coming to a halt in front of a small, hometown looking diner.

"Its kind of a local place," the colonel explained as he took the key from the ignition. "A lot of your off-duties will come here. Got some of the best steak."

As they walked through the door, Jeannie understood why off-duty soldiers would enjoy coming to the diner. It was so homey-looking; it was almost as if you were in the kitchen of your mother's house. Jeannie knew it must be sad for the soldiers, spending so much time away from their families. Which made her wonder about the Colonel's family. Did he have any? Did they not see eye to eye?

"Hey there, my name's Lily. What can I help ya'll with today?" a young girl with a southern drawl asked upon seating Jeannie and Colonel Sheppard.

"Can I have a lemonade with a salad and a sweet potato?" she asked, having decided on one of her favorite meals. Lilly nodded and turned to the colonel.

"Sirloin steak, mashed potatoes and a Coke," he said.

"Well, ya'll are just all prepared, now aren't ya?" Lilly said as she smiled and her eyes lingered on the Colonel a little longer before she turned and left. Jeannie wondered if he was aware of all the flirting women around him, or if he didn't notice. Surely, he had to notice.

"So Colonel, I haven't really asked yet," Jeannie started. "How have _you _been? And Atlantis? Mer sends me emails a lot more now, so I hear about some things that happen, but not much."

"First of all, you can call me John. 'Colonel' just doesn't feel right coming from you, no offence," he requested lightly. "But, everything's been pretty good, I would say. Been worse, that is. Haven't lost anybody in a while, and we've made some progress."

Jeannie felt better now, knowing she could call him John, but also frowned slightly at his response. She knew it must be hard out there in the Pegasus galaxy if his idea of 'pretty good' meant no one had perished.

"That's good," she replied anyway.

As silence fell again, she was reminded of those nagging questions about her abduction and rescue. She wondered if now was the time, and decided if nothing else, she would bring it up. And if he showed reluctance, she would drop it.

"John, there's something I've been wanting to know," she began, and was sure she saw him grimace as if he knew what was coming. "What happened to me while I was… in a coma. Not all of it makes sense."

She watched as his face became stony and impassive. "Like what?" he choked out.

She took a deep breath. "Well for starters, why would anyone show Henry Wallace the labs? There was no reason for him to be there because he was no help to Mer. And if the Wraith had attacked him, the guards would have reacted and shot it, wouldn't they? And yet he was able to finish the programming… It just doesn't add up."

John frowned and thought hard about her statement. She knew right then that she had been right: there was something more to what happened. The trick would be extracting that information, and being a well-trained soldier, John would not relinquish any information he didn't want released.

"Well, it all happened really fast and…"

"John," Jeannie interrupted. "I know there are inconsistencies, and I know some things happened that day that didn't make it into the report. I just don't know _what_. But that day plagues me and if you aren't going to tell me, then okay, but please do not lie to me."

She suddenly felt horrible for bringing it up in the first place and letting it get as far as it did. It wasn't fair to him, and she was about to say so when she felt her phone vibrating in her purse.

"Hello," she greeted, glad for an excuse to look away from John.

"_Jeannie," _Caleb said, his tone rushed_. "My mom just fell. Dad's taking her to the hospital, but I was wondering if you could take Madison for a little while. If Colonel Sheppard doesn't want it then…"_

"Is she okay?_" _Jeannie asked, noticing John perking up with a concerned expression on his face.

"_I think she'll be okay, but I would just prefer it if Madison didn't have to sit in a hospital for a couple of hours."_

"That's fine. Are you sure you don't want me to go?_" _

"_No, it's okay. Just tell me where you guys are."_

About fifteen minutes later, Caleb pulled into the drive of the diner and met Jeannie and John at the door, holding Madison's hand. Caleb turned to John and threw out his free hand, John grasping it quickly.

"Sorry about this," Caleb apologized to Sheppard.

"No need to apologize. I'm sorry to hear about your mom but I hope everything goes well."

Caleb nodded. "Thank you."

Caleb then turned back to Jeannie and pecked her on the lips quickly. She felt bad for not being able to accompany her husband to the hospital, but she didn't want Maddie to have to wait in one either.

"Keep me updated," Jeannie requested. Caleb nodded again then started back towards his car.

"Bye guys, have fun."

Once he was gone, Jeannie picked up her daughter. "Hey, baby, how you doing?"

"Good," she replied simply in her young voice.

"Well, you remember Colonel Sheppard, right?"

Madison turned her head slowly to see John, then shyly buried her face in her mother's shoulder, before nodding. Jeannie looked at John and saw him smiling at the two of them.

"Why don't we go back inside and finish eating," Jeannie asked.

John agreed and a few seconds later, they were back at their table, only this time, plus a little girl. Jeannie was thankful for the now uplifting and bright conversation that was being had, John trying to keep Maddie entertained. She never would have guessed he was good with children. Of course, he wasn't exactly _fatherly_, but he was a whole lot better than Mer.

It was probably half an hour later before everyone was done eating and the laughter was coming to end, that it was decided it was about time to go. After a long debate over who would pick up the tab, John stood up and made his way to the cashier to pay for the meal, and just as he neared it, the door opened and in came three men, all holding guns. Before Jeannie had the time to warn John, she saw one of the men come up behind him and put his gun to John's head.

"Everyone get down!"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **So I was planning to post this one tomorrow afternoon, but the reviews overwhelmed me and well, I got excited and decided to post it now. However, updates will probably not be as quick, especially now that the school/work week is upon us. But rest assured, the story is basically done so... it will be posted eventually.

**Disclaimer: **Forgot one last time... but as you may be able to guess, I own pretty much none of this and the only payment I recieve is through wonderful reviews from wonderful people. Oh, and I like writing, of course.

**Thanks: **To a very amazing beta, nat.am.drachen/sandgnat10 as I like to call her. Either way, she rocks. Thanks, hon.

Everything else is about the same as before...

**In the Arms of Angels - Part II**

* * *

As soon as the gun connected with Sheppard's head, Jeannie was grabbing Madison and forming as much of a shield as she could over the girl. The safety and well-being of her daughter immediately took precedence, and John's very precarious position was pushed to the back of her mind.

However, she had no idea what to do next. The only thing her brain was telling her was to keep Madison covered and keep her alive at all costs. She could hear the gunman barking orders and some of the diner's customers and employees shouting. But it was the whimpering of Madison that captured her attention, and despite all of her previous religious doubts, she suddenly found herself praying for her daughter's safety.

She was vaguely aware of the two gunmen forcing all the diner's occupants into the seating area so they could keep an eye -and a gun- on all of them. It didn't appear any of the others were in as dire a situation as John, but guns were slinging all around the room, threatening to shoot at any sudden movements. The gunman closest to her booth, the shortest of the assailants, was keeping the gun trained mostly on the next booth over, which she knew housed two large, burly soldiers.

Suddenly, it occurred to her, she was in a diner surrounded by people who had signed their life away to protect others. People who were trained, in various levels of various fighting techniques, and most of all, a certain Lt. Colonel who not only conquered this world, but many others. It didn't make the situation go away, but if ever she was being held hostage with someone, he would be her choice.

Which brought up another question, why the hell would _anyone _want to hold a diner full of trained soldiers hostage?!

"On the ground! Everyone!" the one with the gun to John's head yelled. And immediately, his partners began to enforce it. Before she knew it, Jeannie was being pulled from her booth by one of the gunmen, Madison screaming helplessly as the distance between the two increased. Jeannie yelled to her, told her come into her outstretched arms. And before Jeannie hit the ground, Madison was being tightly embraced. Jeannie leaned over, covering her small body as much as she could.

"Hey! Hey!" she heard John yell, though he seemed so far away. "Don't touch them!"

The next sound she was aware of was the clunk of something hard making contact with a body part, then "oomph!" She felt tears slip between her tightly clenched eyelids as she realized that they had just hurt John.

"You're not making the calls here, soldier," someone spat.

Jeannie felt her grip on Madison tighten.

"That's right, _flyboys! _From here on out, you'll listen to me. If you don't, someone will die, got it?"

She heard more people murmuring, but from the glances she dared to make, none of the soldiers looked too scared. There were a few of the really young-looking ones that appeared frightened, but they weren't much more than kids themselves.

"Alright, alright," she heard John speak up again, his voice raspier than the last time he had spoke. She didn't know whether his attempts to talk made her feel better, or scared her even more. "Apparently you have an issue with the military, huh?"

Oh, he sounded so confident. She knew he had been through a lot, but she just couldn't think of any experiences that would ever warrant such nerve and calmness in this kind of situation.

"Well, aren't you a genius?" John's gunman sneered. Jeannie was now peaking over at the two of them, positioned in the center of the diner. John was on his knees, his arms in the air. There was a thin trail of blood running down the right side of his face. At the gunman's comment, she was sure she saw John roll his eyes.

"Not so much the military, though. No, I have a problem with the Air Force and what better way to get what I want, than to attack their precious pilots," the man answered. "And a little birdie told me this is where a lot of you like to flock to."

"Oh, well then you're terribly mistaken," John replied. "Birds are our buddies. They wouldn't have given away our position."

Jeannie once again heard the sound of the man hitting John, only this time, it was a kick to his ribs, and she actually saw it happen. He hunched over immediately, but just as quick, he was back up. His face was scrunched in pain, but believe it or not, and Jeannie couldn't seem to believe it, he was laughing.

"Sorry, sorry," he choked, "just some Air Force humor."

And sure enough, there were small grins on the faces of the few soldiers she could see.

"Enough," the gunman spat before addressing his people. "Pull out their dog tags and Riley, look up their ranks. I want to find the top dog in here."

Jeannie had no idea who Riley was, but she didn't see anyone with a computer in the diner, and briefly wondered whether there were more people working with this guy in another location.

The room then erupted with the sounds of dog tags being pulled from shirts and names of the soldiers being called out. Jeannie was pretty sure whoever they were yelling the names to were communicating via a communication device.

"We got a second lieutenant, here Doc," the gunman furthest from Jeannie shouted out.

"A captain."

"Another captain."

"Oh, we got a Major, here!"

A few more shouts were made, but none higher than a major. Jeannie knew John's rank and was pretty sure it was higher than a major, but didn't want to find out what would happen to the person with the highest rank.

As the shouts of names and ranks died down, Jeannie turned her attention back to John, who was in the same position he was in the last time she saw him. She watched as his gunman circled around him once, came to a stop in front of him, and squatted down so that they were at eye-level. The guy, using his gun, pulled John's collar down to see the chain of his dog tag.

"Something tells me your special," the man said. "It takes a very gutsy and _arrogant _man to backtalk a guy with a gun," he continued, his gun staying trained on John while his free hand pulled the dog tags closer to his face.

"John Sheppard," he read aloud.

The gunman's eyes went up to the ceiling, looking distinctly like he was listening to something no one else could hear.

Finally, a mischievous grin spread across the gunman's face. "Is that so?" he asked, obviously to whoever was on the other line of the headset. "Well, well, well. It looks like we got ourselves a Lt. Colonel, boys," the man proclaimed triumphantly through the diner.

The guy turned his attention back to John, who stared defiantly back. "My guy can't seem to find anything on you, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. Looks like you're an important S.O.B.." John shrugged smugly. "Well, then it looks like you'll be worth more then, won't it?"

"That's right," John agreed, surprising everyone. "I'm quite important. So much, in fact, that several national governments will be contacted when they found out who you're holding here, because I know so much that simply cannot be released to the public," he continued, leaving Jeannie completely lost as to where he was going with this, but his confidence filling her with an odd sense of hope.

"So I'd say you picked a good time hold the place up if you wanted something from the government. However," he said, his tone changing, "the fact that you are also holding civilians is a problem."

"Is that so?" the man repeated, still right in John's face.

"Yes it is, Steve. Mind if I call you Steve? You remind me of an old friend of mine back home," John stated. "Anyway, because you have civilians in here, it makes the possibility of leaked information greater, and therefore, it would not be unheard of for an 'accident' to occur. Probably the whole place _accidentally _blowing up," John finished, still looking very defiant and completely unafraid.

Steve did not respond immediately to this. "So, you're really worth that?"

John chuckled. "That and more."

"And if I keep the civilians here, we'll probably all blow up?"

"Probably."

"Well, then why don't I just get rid of you?" Steve inquired, now smiling himself.

"Nope, nope. Wouldn't work," John replied quickly, shaking his head. Jeannie could detect the fear in his voice that things were not going in quite the direction he wanted, but it was very slight and well hidden.

"And why not?" Steve asked, now slightly annoyed.

John shrugged. "Simple, really. Then all you'd have is a group of civilians and a few officers. You'll have no chance at getting what you want, but I can help you."

"I'd still have the kid," Steve countered. "The media goes crazy over kids." At this comment, fear and panic pierced through Jeannie's body like a knife slicing her insides. She felt her eyes clamp shut once again, and her grip tighten on Madison.

"True, but again, it would still be just another hostage situation," John replied, emphasizing the last words as if they constituted a boring, every-day situation. "Some of your most memorable hold-ups had a ton of kids, and none of the ended in favor of the bad guys. Think about it."

The gunman did seem to consider this possibility.

"Okay, and even if I _did _let the civilians go, how could you help me? Who's to say they wouldn't kill me after the civilians were gone?"

John smiled and pointed his finger at Steve"That's a good point, Steve. You're very smart," John stated, still speaking with such ease. "You see, I knowa lot of important people, and I'm quite useful to the government. So, when it's just you, your henchmen, and me, they will be more likely to give you what you want in return for me. Alive. So, everyone would get what they wanted and would live happily ever after."

Jeannie honestly did not know what to think. In all the things she had heard about John Sheppard - which wasn't a whole lot, come to think of it - and the short amount of time she had spent with him, she knew he was an amazing soldier and a good man. But nothing could have prepared her for his behavior now. And it apparently surprised everyone else in the room, including Steve.

"So, what you're saying is, the best way to get what I want is to release everyone, except you?"

"Yep."

Steve stared down at Sheppard, almost as if he was actually considering his suggestion. And once again, Jeannie found herself praying for it to be true. She hated the thought of leaving John in there, alone, with those guys, but if it meant safety for her daughter, then she would do it.

When she thought about it, what he was saying was pretty accurate. She wasn't sure just how much attention his capture would get, but when it came down to it, John Sheppard was very important and knew a lotMuch more than any government was willing to let slip. And, he _was_ very useful. He had the strongest known ATA gene, which was extremely handy to the SGC, which also meant the IOA, and therefore Earth in general. Other galaxies, too, of course, but Earth would be everyone's top priority.

It was then that she heard the sirens. Multiple cop cars, presumably coming for the diner. She knew it wouldn't take long for people to realize something was going on in the diner, and judging by the choice in location, the gunmen weren't interested in money and probably didn't mind the publicity.

"If you know all these important people and things you claim to, then the government will be trying to silence the media," Steve said suddenly. "What if I don't want that?"

"That's what I like about you, Steve. You think things out completely," John said, still not caught off-guard by any of Steve's scenarios and objections; always ready to twist it in his favor. "But the more the government tries to silence them, the more publicity. I mean, think about it, if the government is trying to keep something secret, the hounds will swarm harder. In the end, you'll get more airtime."

The cop cars and other 'official' looking vehicles, probably military officials, had the place surrounded and were speaking on loudspeakers, but no one in the diner seemed too interested. They were all too enveloped in this odd conversation.

Steve seemed to be out of questions now, and was left only to the possibilities in his own mind. "Riley," he called into his headset, in one last moment of decisions. "Does his story hold up? You've got no information on him at all?" He waited for a moment, then continued. "Not passed Afghanistan, eh?" He paused again to listen, then frowned. "Well, its not really up to you, now is it?"

He stopped talking to 'Riley', and returned to John. "I'm highly considering your offer, though I know what you're doing," he said with a sigh. "Noble of you, really, trying to get these people out. I respect that. Of course, I'll be doing what's best for me and my boys, here. But I like you, and that helps."

He began to circle around John, then started to walk deeper into the room and began to address the other soldiers. "And how do you all feel," he yelled, "about leaving your ranking military officer?"

"Keep your mouths closed, all of you," John ordered, but Steve made no acknowledgment of it. Jeannie couldn't help but smile, though, when no one said anything. Steve made his way back to John, and without warning, slammed his foot into John's gut. Jeannie heard him grunt, but made no noise otherwise. She ducked her head down lower over Madison.

"What about letting him get hurt?" Steve continued. "He's trying to save all of your sorry asses, and you're just going to sit there and let him bleed?" Steve bellowed as his knee crashed into John's chest, just as he had recovered from the last blow. Once again, John doubled over, gasping for air. While the faces of the soldiers had grown angrier by the second, no one uttered a sound.

Jeannie realized then just how many people were in the room at that moment. Not just the soldiers, but the diner employees, as well; all of them, innocent. And all of them (well, the civilians, at least) were hoping for John to get through to Steve. Even with the odds in their favor, they were up against guns. With the way the diner's patrons and employees were lined up, the gunmen had control of everyone in the room, so if the hostages tried to do something, they would end up gaining the upper hand, but not after several casualties at least. And no one was ready to go there just yet.

"Nothing?" Steve barked at the men. "Well, Colonel, you got some good little grunts."

Just then, a telephone within the diner rang, making everyone jump, except for John who was still trying to control his breathing. Steve walked towards the ringing phone, but all the while keeping his gun trained on John.

"Yes?" he answered menacingly. Everyone in the diner held their breath as they waited for him to say something. His face changed suddenly to something Jeannie couldn't quite read. "Yeah, he's here."

"Mommy," a small voice whispered, reminding Jeannie of the precious bundle beneath her.

"Shh, baby. Just a little longer," Jeannie cooed, hoping her promise could be upheld.

"You want to speak with him?" Steve asked the person on the other line. "Well, General O'Neil, I've actually been talking the Colonel myself, and I've found him to be quite an interesting person. Persuasive son of a bitch, as well." Steve listened for second, then chuckled. "Yes, I would agree with you there. He says he knows a lot of important people, one of which I assume is you? Well, he has informed me that he is an important person. Top secret kind of guy. Said that it would be in my best interest to let the others go, and keep him. What do you think of that, General?" Steve asked, grinning wryly at John who had made a recovery.

"Yeah, I think so too," Steve finally said. "I'm just going to make a slight change to the orders. You'll get all of your men, except Colonel Sheppard. They'll be sent out, you intercept them, and then we continue negotiations a little later."

The atmosphere improved some, but the tension was still very much there because the fact was, not everyone was going to leave. As long as her daughter was one of them, Jeannie didn't care.

Steve had already hung up the phone and was now walking through the room, staring everyone down.

"Well friends," he began. "I have to say, this was an unforeseen turn of events, but you know what they say about life giving you lemons. And thanks to Colonel Sheppard, here," he said, smiling at John. "I'll hopefully be making some pretty nice lemonade."

He stopped near the cash registered and for a quick moment, took his gun off John.

"Alright, here's how this is gunna go. When I say so, you will all stand. Civilians will exit first, then our soldiers here, except for Colonel Sheppard. None of you will make any sudden movements, and you will keep your backs to us. All you do is simply walk out."

Hushed whispers broke out within the room, some excited, some not so much. Jeannie's heart was pounding with anxiety. Again, all she wanted, all she needed, was for her daughter to get out of the diner; out of the reaches of these heinous people.

"Alright civilians, up!" Steve bellowed. Hesitantly, half a dozen people slowly rose from the ground, Jeannie included. She kept Madison against her chest, her arms wrapped around the small body as much as possible. She looked quickly to John, who nodded to her. She knew he would be staying here and it was his bravery that was getting everyone else out; she suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards him. She felt tears fill her eyes as she shared a meaningful look with him.

"Wait," Steve said, interrupting their profound moment by pointing at Jeannie. Her body froze, along with her heart. "She stays," he said.

"No, they go," John said, his previous serenity gone. "They go! That was apart of our deal! You can't do that…" John protested. But Jeannie had been ready for this. In fact, a part of her had even wanted it. As the others continued to flow out behind her, Jeannie gathered every bit of courage she had.

"It's okay, John. I'll stay," she said firmly as she rubbed Madison's back, trying to sooth the crying child. But Jeannie was taken off-guard when Steve only laughed.

"Not you, sweetheart. You go," he said, causing Jeannie's heart to jump in her throat. "The _girl_ stays."

* * *

**EN:** Interesting twist, eh? Hehe, was for me to as I was writing it. Hmm... I wonder what will happen?!!? Have a great week everyone! 


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hello everyone, and happy Friday! I'm sorry it was a rather long wait, but I expected it. The weeks are are long and highschool sucks. Oh well. It's here now.

**Thanks: **As always to my wonderful beta, **_sandgnat10_**. And to everyone who commented. I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone... there was just so many this time. I've never had this many comments for two chapters. Thanks soooo much!!

That's it, really. Hope you all enjoy this one.

**In the Arms of Angels - Part III**

* * *

Something in side of Jeannie snapped. She couldn't leave her daughter in the diner alone with those people, she just couldn't. Couldn't walk out to safety knowing full well that Madison, _her _Madison, was being held at gunpoint by three grown men, but that was exactly what this man was asking her to do. She couldn't.

She dropped to her knees, desperately clutching Madison to her chest, and felt her body start to tremble.

"No, no!" she screamed, not even sure what she was saying or what others may be thinking. "Please! Take _me_, please!"

She kept pleading, kept begging, and all the while she was vaguely aware of John doing something similar, though he sounded more angry and forceful. She was also aware that the last of the evacuating civilians were slowing their evacuation efforts to see what was happening with Jeannie and her child.

"Mommy," she heard Madison cry, her tiny voice strained. Oh, how she wanted comfort her, how she wanted to kiss her cheek and make it all better. But there was nothing she could do right now except beg for her daughter's safe passage out.

"Silence!" Steve yelled. "Everyone STOP and get on the ground!" As he said it, his two gun men stopped the civilians and forced them back on the ground. There were only about three of them left, plus all soldiers, but there was still enough people to overpower the gunmen; and right now, it wasn't looking like too bad of an idea. If it gave Madison a better chance, then it would be worth it.

The room fell quiet as Steve began to speak, his gun still on John, who was absolutely fuming now. "I want you and the girl, Colonel. If I don't get that, then I'll start shooting these people now, starting with the girl."

John scowled, his previous ease gone and replaced with an anger and uneasiness that sent chills down Jeannie's spine. "The second you open fire, every soldier in this building, and everyone out there, will be all over you. And yes, I'm sure you'll take a few down, but it won't last very long at all."

Steve lowered himself to John's level again, raising his gun between John's eyes, "What makes you speak so bravely to a man who has a gun in your face?"

John forced a bitter laugh. "Because a few guys with guns stopped scaring me years ago," he answered, his acrimonious grin disappearing for a more serious expression. "Look, you said you had a problem with the Air Force So, keep me and let everyone else go."

"Sounds nice Colonel, but you laid the cards out for me, and I chose the aces," Steve stated simply. "I'm going to keep you, regardless, because you're a very important man, apparently. But if I keep the civilians, they may just blow us all up, as you mentioned, and if I keep the soldiers, then I run the risk of being over powered," Steve continued slowly. "So, the less the better. And out of all the people in this building, besides you, the girl offers the best leverage."

"Then let me stay, too!" Jeannie yelled, still not considering her words carefully. She wasn't scared for her life, not at all, anymore. "Please!"

"No," Steve stated as he stood back up. "Here are your options. Either everyone, except my aces, here," Steve said, motioning towards Sheppard and Madison, "are to continue with the evacuation plan as I ordered, or, I will shoot everyone right here and now starting with the girl, of course."

Jeannie could think of nothing more to say or do. Everything was crumbling down on her and she was being forced to leave her daughter in considerable danger. She didn't want to let go of Madison, but she didn't see how she could not. Begging was doing nothing but making Steve angrier. All eyes were on either Jeannie's crying, huddled form, or on John. There was nothing more she could think to do, except look to the one person in that diner she trusted.

When she looked up at John, she realized he had already been staring at her; his eyes held so much emotion. His usually tanned face was unnaturally pale against the dark red blood now streaming down his cheek and staining his white button-up shirt. She silently pleaded with him, looked to him for any indication of what to do. What scared her most was how unsure and scared he looked, himself. She found herself amazed at the sudden change in his demeanor, now that her daughter's life was being threatened.

It was then Jeannie knew for sure that John Sheppard would do anything to keep Madison safe. Knew that he, like herself, was willing to die for her child, but she still wanted to hear it from him. Wanted to hear him say it.

For a moment, time stopped and the only people in the diner was herself, her daughter, and John Sheppard. They were practically having an entire conversation with absolutely no words, and Jeannie could see the decision made in John's eyes, before he even said anything.

"They'll leave," John said finally, his voice low and filled with remorse. "Everyone will leave," he continued, more loudly this time as if addressing his men. "But you have to let me hold the girl," he said, turning to Steve. "She's scared and you're about to take her mother away. Just let me hold her." And for the first time since the whole thing began, Jeannie heard him plead. Truly plead for this one thing, and Jeannie knew it went against everything he was to do so.

Steve didn't speak for a few moments, just looked down at his prisoner with slight disgust and something else, something much deeper and profound that Jeannie couldn't really figure out. But she wasn't going to leave until she knew that her daughter would be in John's arms, if it couldn't be her own.

"Fine," Steve agreed quietly, "you can hold the girl, but I want everyone else out. _Now_!"

The tears were now freely falling down Jeannie's face as she looked into her daughter's eyes. Madison had stayed so quiet and so in control, even in this horrifying moment. Jeannie wondered if she knew exactly what was going on and what was at risk. But it didn't matter now; Jeannie had to leave her. God, it was going to hurt so bad. If it wasn't for John's protective, strong arms, she would not have even considered leaving Madison with the gunmen. They were the same arms that kept her brother, and all of Atlantis, safe for so many years.

"Get up," one of Steve's men ordered as his section of people made their way out the door. Jeannie's heart was still breaking, and a horrible feeling compelled her to remain on the ground and cradle Madison in her arms. But when she looked up and saw John staring at her, urging her up, she stood.

"Be strong, Jeannie," she heard him whisper.

Jeannie really wanted to be strong, for Madison, for herself, for John. It was just so hard. She would prefer to be kidnapped again, injected with nanites a million more times as opposed to this.

"Move it!" the gunman yelled again and pushed her.

"Come on, Jeannie," John urged again, his arms held out, ready to take Madison.

God, she couldn't do this. She couldn't do this, and yet, she was.

She took a few steps closer to his waiting arms and when she was close enough, she wiped her eyes with her free hand, and tried to gain some control before talking to her baby. She lowered Madison to the ground, right beside John, and fought the tears.

"Sweetie, Mommy…," she sighed, and sucked in a quick, shuddering breath, "Mommy's got to go. But Colonel Sheppard's going to take real good care of you, I promise. Okay?" she soothed, for herself as much as for Madison.

She gave up on holding the tears back, but tried to keep the smile. "Be a good girl and do exactly what he says, okay?"

Madison nodded, her eyes full of fear. Jeannie couldn't let go. How could she let go? She kissed Madison's forehead, not wanting to remove her lips.

"Time to go," she heard Steve say. But she couldn't. "Move it," he said, more forcefully this time. Then she felt a man's hand on her shoulder, and thought it was one of the gunmen's. But when she looked up, she saw soft, hazel green eyes penetrating her own.

"Nothing will happen to her," John said, his eyes unwavering. "Nothing."

Jeannie nodded and could feel a gun being pressed against her arm. She believed John, but still she wanted to stay with Madison. It felt wrong leaving her there. She was vaguely aware of the tension in the room increasing as she refused to move.

"Jeannie, you have to go," John said urgently, now wrapping his arms around Madison. "Please. I've got her, I promise."

"Oh my God," Jeannie heard herself say as she lost the small amount of control she had been able to keep. "Please," she cried, not knowing what else to do or say.

"Captain," John said to someone behind her, then felt the strong, yet gentle hands of one of the soldiers leading her away. But she couldn't take her eyes off her daughter the whole way out. She was leaving her. Abandoning her. Before she had the time to really think, she was being led through a wooden door and was greeted by the warm light of a setting sun and a cool, refreshing breeze.

_How can it be so beautiful out here? _thought Jeannie helplessly.

She was led further and further away from the diner, not sure where she was going or who was touching her. And then there were more people gripping her and ushering her towards something, but she didn't really care what.

"Mrs. Miller," someone said. But her eyes and attention were still on the small diner. "Mrs. Miller, look at me." She felt someone grab her shoulders and turn her around. She suddenly found herself staring into the eyes of General O'Neill.

"Listen to me," he said, still holding her shoulders. "We've got some of the best people on this," he assured, "and you've got one of the best possible people in there now. We'll get her out. We'll get both of them out."

Jeannie felt herself nod, but still couldn't really think.

"Mrs. Miller, you will need to contact your husband. Do you want us to call him?" he asked. "Mrs. Miller?"

"Yes," she answered finally. "Yes."

The world around her was a mass of blurred colors. There were so many people out there, so many flashing police lights, and ambulances. Then there were reporters and a growing number of onlookers. But they didn't matter, none of them did.

She wanted her daughter in her arms. She wanted her husband at her side, and her brother at the other. And she wanted John out of there, as well, safe.

She allowed General O'Neill to lead her off to the back of a dark car, a thin blanket draped around her shoulders. She could still see the diner, and that's all that mattered.

She felt another tear roll down her face, and drip onto her hand. Once again, she turned to God. She wasn't sure if He was real or not, but He was the only one that could be in there with John and Madison. It was therefore worth asking for help. She asked that He send an angel in there, and for the angel to wrap its arms around John and her daughter, and to keep them safe. She promised Him that if He allowed Madison to live, she would do everything she could to get to know Him.

She closed her tired, swollen eyes for only a moment, and continued to pray. It was all she had now.

* * *

This sucked. This really, really sucked. He had to be a marked man, because _damn_. It didn't matter where he went or what he did. It didn't even matter what _galaxy _he was in, he always found trouble. Always. It was that simple.

Now, it wasn't just his team he was forcing his bad luck upon. He wasn't running from some violent group of aliens, and he sure as hell wasn't up against the life-sucking Wraith. No, he was on Earth, his arms wrapped tightly around a trembling little girl, with three guns pointed at him.

He didn't care about the guns. It wasn't that he feared a bullet hole, or the fact it could kill him, because death wasn't something he feared. It was the mere fact he was the only thing standing between those guns and Madison. As long as she lived, then he had completed his mission. Because when it came down to it, you could remove him from his post, but you could never remove his need to protect.

Besides, Jeannie and Madison would have never been there if it hadn't been for him. The least he could do was get them both out safely, and he was already halfway there. But it wouldn't matter unless could save Madison too. It was like the Stargate only sending things through in one piece; he couldn't succeed unless everyone left that diner alive.

The trembling bundle in his arms had yet to speak, or make any real movements. He wanted to say something to her, but didn't know what. He actually liked children, but just didn't have any experience with them. Well, a little here and there, but nothing quite like this. He had never had to comfort one, or be real fatherly-like. While he wished Madison had never come to that diner, a part of him felt accomplished as he held her close to him, like he had a purpose.

The idea of having a child scared the hell out of him, and yet it exhilarated him. He couldn't imagine having to worry over its every move, or wonder how long he would be around for them due to his dangerous job. And yet, having a child would fill something inside of him that he knew was missing. Something he tried to appease with Atlantis and his team. Of course, his team was his family and he would do anything in the world for them, but they weren't _his. _They weren't his future.

_Stay focused, John, _he told himself. _There will be no kids at all if you can't get your ass out of here in once piece. _

The diner was now quiet, having emptied the majority of its occupants. There was only himself, Madison, and the three gunmen, all of which had their guns lazily pointed at him.

"What now?" Sheppard asked.

"Now," Steve said as he pulled up a chair with his foot and plopped down with a sigh, "we wait."

_Did you get that from the '_Hostage Situations for Dummies' _manual, _John wanted to sarcastically ask, but bit his tongue before it came out. He couldn't risk Steve getting mad enough to attack him, not with Madison in his arms. Instead, he just lowered his head.

"That sound good to you, Colonel?" asked Steve, almost tempting Sheppard to screw up.

Sheppard sighed, again holding back flippant remarks. "Sounds fine."

Steve snidely chuckled and gestured at Madison with his gun, causing John to envelop her even more. "You're a little different when you're all alone. Or is it because of the kid." John just stared back, not seeing a point in answering.

"She don't look like yours," one of the gunmen said. "You banging her mom, or is she the one sneaking around on you?"

Hatred seared through John's veins. He found the gunmen's words slimy and insulting, but what really made his insides boil was the man's nerve to speak so raunchy in the presence of a child so young.

"He asked you a question, Colonel," Steve said as he leaned closer to John. "You might want to answer."

"Or what?" John sneered, unable to hold his tongue. "You'll kill me? Or you're going to hurt her?" he asked, nodding down towards Madison. "Because if you do, I swear, I. Will. Kill. You."

Steve's grin faded. "You have a lot of nerve," he said, making John fear the worse. "But, I don't plan on touching the girl unless I absolutely have to. That would be hypocritical, wouldn't it?"

John frowned, his left hand grasping the back of Madison's head. "Hypocritical?"

Steve nodded. John was sure there was a sadness to it, but having not expected it from such a harsh man, he wasn't sure if it was real or not. "You haven't even asked why I'm here, or what I have against the Air Force."

This was true. It hadn't been on the top of his list. Right when the gun was placed on his head what seemed like hours ago, plans began to form in his mind. It just so happened that his first plan -convincing Steve of his importance- had worked, and so he hadn't even moved passed that point. His next plan of action would have had something to do with Steve's demands, whatever they were.

"Does that mean you're about to tell me?"

Steve smiled warily. "Not now."

Definitely a bit of pain there. Odd, John thought. Steve obviously didn't want money, and his motives had something to do with the Air Force. But what confused Sheppard the most was his reluctance to harm Madison, and the look he gave her every now and then.

"Then tell me," John spoke cautiously, "what situation would call for harming her?" he asked, looking down at Madison.

"If you try to fight or get out of hand," Steve answered. "I can tell your a tough one, so she's my assurance you'll be on your best behavior."

"I'll only fight if you touch her."

"Then she should be fine."

John fell quiet after that. Steve was right; he was very different with Madison here. By now, he would have probably been beaten by all three men for his snide contempt. Probably would have been talking nonstop, trying to annoy them. He didn't know why he did those kind of things, but he always had, and so far, he was still alive. So, he must have been doing something right.

This was different, very different. Much more at stake now. He would do what he was told to keep Madison safe. He had promised. Of course, he had a few backup plans in case this submissive act didn't pay off. He really hoped he didn't have to resort to them, as none of them allowed for the safe passage for everyone, but he would do it if the moment called for it.

John was pulled from his possible scenarios when he felt Madison move beneath his arms. She was pulling away from him, not a lot, but enough to look around. Her eyes were puffy and red as they scanned the room, and her hands never left John's shoulders. He watched her take in her surroundings, and look towards the exit.

"Hey," he said softly, not really knowing what to say to her. She stopped looking around the room and turned to him. He saw fear in her big blue eyes, and it felt like a knife was slicing through his gut.

"You're bleedin'," she said, so quiet he could barely hear her. And that's when he realized she was right. He remembered getting hit those few times, but the injuries and pain hadn't been important enough to stay in the front of his mind.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "Bumped my head."

"He hit you."

Sheppard froze. What would he say to that? He foolishly looked to Steve, as if he was going to help.

"Well, he plays too rough."

Madison watched him for a moment, then laid her head back on his shoulder and whispered, "I want to go home."

_Me too, _John agreed.

"It won't be long now," he assured her, looking at Steve, who surprisingly did not object. "I promise."

* * *

**EN: **Alright well, I did finish this story, however, I'm too sure I like the ending. Hopefully I'll be able to rework it fairly easily to make me like it, but the worse case scenario would mean a lot of revisions. I hope not though, and I'll be working on it this weekend even though I have to do 60-something AP Euro notecards... :(


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **So this took a little longer than I expected and for that, I apologize. But as I mentioned at the end of chapter three, I came to the horrible realization the ending I wrote was a little rushed. I was fine with it before, so when I decided it wasn't quite right, I was devastated but.. you do what you have to. But just know, I definitely have not given up on the story and I won't. Amongst the terribly busy life at a college prep highschool, I'm still working hard. But I don't plan to change too much, so it hopefully won't take a whole long time.

**Warning: **Same as always. I think like, two curse words at most. Then, a little violence. Finally, I tried very hard to investigate hostage situations, but that can only take you so far. I hope what I have is believable, but forgive me if its not. Thanks a lot to my beta for bringing this issue to my attention.

**Thanks: **To all who commented and as always, my wonferful beta, _sandgnat10._

**In the Arms of Angels - Part IV

* * *

**Darkness had settled in about an hour ago, leaving the diner tinted in an eerie blue. Steve had insisted that most of the lights stayed off, so on top of the whole situation just sucking, he now had to reassure Madison in the dark. Although, she seemed to be okay now.

The silence in the diner had long since been broken. The phone rang periodically, about every fifteen minutes or so but remained unanswered. Steve had also insisted on letting the others outside the diner sit and marinate over what could be happening in the diner.

In addition to the phone and Steve's henchmen, who Sheppard had dubbed as Berry and Elton, and their noisy conversations, Madison had also loosened up and become quite loquacious. She was currently sitting cross-legged directly in front of Sheppard, coloring a menu and telling Sheppard the story of the tortoise and the hare. He liked this better, though. She was much calmer and basically entertaining herself, which in turn, calmed him. He would look up at Steve every so often usually to find him listening to Madison or just watching her, almost dreamily. In fact, Sheppard was pretty sure he was putting together Steve's reason for attacking the diner.

"So the turtle won after all?" asked Sheppard, sounding as surprised as he could. Madison nodded and smiled widely and Sheppard shrugged. "Well, you know what they say, slow and steady wins the race." But it seemed to go right over her head.

She was drawing something that looked like a house, probably her own, and was rocking her head from side to side, as if listening to music that only she could hear. In that moment, Sheppard envied her naivety, wishing he, too, could forget what was happening around him and disappear into a coloring book. Or menu, in this case.

"Why don't he answer the phone?" Madison asked, not even looking up from her drawing.

"Don't know," Sheppard answered, directing his eyes to Steve.

"Not time yet," Steve said simply.

Sheppard huffed and tried to keep his voice as calm as possible to hide his true irritation. "And exactly _when _will you be ready?"

Steve shrugged and diverted his eyes to the people gathered outside the diner, "When I think _they_ are."

Sheppard forced himself to bite his tongue. Oh, what he would have done already had he been alone. He quickly turned back to Madison, still innocently coloring away, to remind himself of why he had to be so submissive.

"Hey Doc," Berry said from his barstool, "someone's coming over."

Sheppard whipped his head around to see, and sure enough, he saw the unmistakable outline of General O'Neill making his way towards the door. What the hell was he thinking? He was about as much of a negotiator as McKay was. It was a wonder that O'Neill was even at the SGC because he had been promoted a long time ago. Though, in Landry's temporary absence, the General had been sent in to handle the SGC.

Berry and Elton were suddenly on their feet, their guns pointed at the entrance of the diner. Steve also stood, though his gun stayed positioned on Sheppard.

"Hey!" came the General's muffled voice through the wooden door. "Its General Jack O'Neill. I just want to talk. Make sure everything's okay," he paused, allowing the words to sink in. "Mind if I join you?"

"Is anyone with you?"

"No."

"You are unarmed?"

"Yes," O'Neill replied slowly.

"Open the door slowly. Step inside then close the door. Keep your hands in the air."

Berry and Elton looked to Steve for some kind of guidance, but he offered them none; just glanced back and forth from Sheppard to the door. Sheppard turned his head now to see the door, as well, after making sure Madison was still coloring, and saw it slowly open. The first sign of the General was his hands, both empty, then came the rest of him. He slipped in and closed the door behind him, his hands staying loosely in the air at all times.

"Hi there," he greeted Steve and the others, then looked down to Sheppard. "Colonel."

"Sir," Sheppard replied, sounding as official as he could, though he knew it was a lame attempt.

"Couldn't stand waiting, could you?" Steve asked, sounding thoroughly amused.

"Not my strong point, no." O'Neill took a step closer, but halted quickly when the henchmen cocked their guns threateningly. "Like I said, I just want to talk and see about getting the Colonel and Miss Miller out as safe and as soon as possible."

"Patience is a virtue," Elton muttered, coolly, earning a heated look from Steve.

"Making the government wait never works out too well," O'Neill replied. "And we _have_ been waiting. The big guys are getting a little restless out there, if you know what I mean." And Sheppard did. They were probably losing their minds knowing that a man with so much classified information was being held at gunpoint. But, they obviously didn't know Sheppard very well.

Steve barked out a laugh. "So they thought they'd send in a General?"

"No, that was my idea," O'Neill said.

"And I was just about to comment on the stupidity of it," Steve said, closing the distance between himself and Sheppard. Before Sheppard had the time to anticipate it, the butt of a gun collided with his already damaged head.

White, hot pain burst through his head and the world temporarily disappeared. John was aware of shouting and the scream of a small girl, but it took a minute to recover. When he did, he found it hard to focus his eyesight or stay sitting up. He swayed a lot as the world tilted this way and that, and finally he ended up sprawled out on the ground. All the while, the General and Steve had a heated conversation he just couldn't understand. But, more apparent than that, he saw the round eyes of a little girl, inches from his own, muttering something he couldn't make out. Then he was aware of her gently rubbing the uninjured part of his head, and found it surprisingly soothing.

"Shhh," Madison cooed in her little voice, her words finally penetrating the buzzing in his ears. "I'll be your nurse, I'll take good care of you," Madison said as if she were talking to one of her baby dolls.

He smiled at the fact that she was still too young to pronounce every word correctly, but he got the message and appreciated it all the same. And here he thought _he _was supposed to be caring for _her. _

"The more you do stupid things like that,_" _the General yelled, "the worse it will be for you!"

"And the more you do stupid shit like this," Steve fired back, "the worse it will get from _them_. So listen up, General _I _call the shots around here. Not you, or anyone else. I've already strayed from my original plan because I listened to the good Colonel here, and I haven't been disappointed so far. But he's learned to take my orders, and you better learn the same. I know your kind aren't too worried about losing your own lives; but there's a little girl in here now, and the minute I feel out of control, they both die, along with whoever else I can take down," he finished, then smiled as another thought occurred to him.

"Better yet, I'll torture the girl until he breaks and tells me everything I want to know."

Sheppard heard it all; heard Steve's forceful tone and the General's lack of response. He knew exactly how the General was feeling, knowing that everything was much harder with Madison involved. What killed Sheppard the most was he wasn't sure he would, or could, stay strong if Madison was used against him. He would probably make something up, but in all honestly he really just didn't know what he would do if it came to that.

The yelling had apparently scared Madison too, because she had abandoned her efforts of doctoring Sheppard, and was now curled up on the floor beside him. He put forth the effort to wrap his arm around her and give her as much comfort as he possibly could. The good news was, the world was straightening up and he was hoping to be able to sit up soon. But right now, that wasn't an option.

"Okay, okay," O'Neill reasoned, sounding utterly defeated. "I'll go. But if you pull that again, we will be forced to act and simply hope for the best. We're willing to negotiate, but you've got to talk to us first."

Steve made no movements or attempts to talk.

"Colonel Sheppard needs medical attention. Can I send in a medic?" Sheppard heard O'Neill ask.

"No, he's fine. I'm hoping we won't be in here too much longer anyway." Well, there was some hope. Not a promise of safety, but a step in the general direction, and that was good enough for the moment.

O'Neill was now making his way back out the door, guns still trained on his back. Once he was gone, Berry and Elton relaxed and eventually went back to their conversation. Sheppard, feeling too vulnerable on the ground with O'Neill gone, pushed himself up with great effort and pain. He was vaguely aware of getting some help from a pair of tiny hands, and made a mental note to give Madison a big hug later.

"Sorry it came to that," Steve said after Sheppard had been sitting for a good two minutes. "But it had to happen, and it was either you or the girl."

Sheppard sighed. "Well, thanks for that," he slurred genuinely. He figured there would have to be some bloodletting at some point or other, and now that the only options were himself and Madison, he was thankful she went untouched. Steve just sighed and nodded.

"I told you, I don't want to hurt her," he said, gesturing at Madison, who was once again curled up in Sheppard's lap. Sheppard nodded, not wanting to risk opening his mouth and giving in to the urge to throw up his long awaited sirloin steak. He was pretty sure he had a concussion now, or very close to one, at least. He had to stay focused for Madison, and that's exactly what he planned to do. But the fact was, he was hurting all over, especially his chest. It was probably just bruised from the kicks he sustained, but it hurt to breath and that was never a good sign.

_Buck up, Sheppard, _he told himself again. _Now's not the time. _

"You're good with kids," Steve said suddenly, pulling Sheppard from his thoughts, "but not good enough to have any of your own."

Sheppard thought about this; what Steve had said and its implications. It only furthered his belief that his theory on Steve's motives were right. And now, thanks to the head injury, he was finding it harder and harder to filter his words.

"So what was it?" John slurred. "Lose your kid in battle?" He spoke as softly as he could, knowing that if he was right, the subject would be a sensitive one and could warrant some aggression if not handled correctly. Sheppard suddenly noticed the look of loss and despair covering the man's scarred face, and knew he had been right. The good news was, Steve didn't seem angry. Not yet, anyways.

"I am hoping to find that out, Colonel," he replied in an intentionally emotionless tone. He got up at that moment, and much to Sheppard's relief, picked up the phone.

"Fine so far," he said into the phone after a moment. "What do I want? Very simple, General. I want answers." He paused again, allowing General O'Neill to speak. "My kid. Dana Marlow. Can't find a… _damn _thing about her. I'm going to give you exactly twenty minutes to give me a satisfactory explanation as to where she is and what has happened to her," he barked, then slammed the phone down.

_Dana Marlow? _Sheppard knew that name. She had been under his command for almost four years, after all. No wonder Steve couldn't find any information on her, she was on Atlantis. Sheppard couldn't explain, however, why Captain Marlow had failed to contact her father, but he never got that far into most of his people's lives.

If only he could tell Steve that his daughter was alive and well and under his command, but he knew he wouldn't be able to convince the worried father without giving too much information away. Instead, he decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being and focused on the growing tension between Berry and Elton behind him.

"What is this about, Doc? Your kid?" Elton finally asked, sounding thoroughly pissed.

Steve sighed and sat back down in his chair in front of Sheppard and Madison. He looked wary now, his furious outer exterior had evaporated and been replaced with that of a heartsick father. "Shut the hell up, Rob."

_So that was his name, _Sheppard said to himself, but decided he liked Elton better.

"No! You promised us cold hard cash," Berry piped up, his gun rising up until it was level with Steve's head.

"And you'll get it," Steve said, not sounding the least bit interested or nervous with a gun pointed at his head. Sheppard watched in odd fascination, thinking how nice it would be if the bad guys took each other out, but knew it could also result in stray bullets flying around. His arms tightened their hold around Madison at the possibility.

"You didn't even say a word about money," Elton fired back. "That's the only reason we're here."

"I _know _that's the only reason you're here. Now shut the hell up."

"No!" Berry yelled, his gun still on Steve. "You've been testing our patience this entire time! You let all the people go, based on what? This fool?" he screamed, gesturing at Sheppard for a brief moment with his gun. "How can you even trust him? So what if Riley couldn't find any information on him? It's not like he's the world's greatest hack or anything!"

The room stayed quiet as Berry went on about his rant. While outside, they were apparently aware of the heightened tension inside the diner, as they were now using a megaphone in addition to the phone in attempt to connect to the inside of the diner.

"Besides, Riley already left a long time ago. He apparently realized how bad you were screwing things up," Elton joined the fight, his gun pointed at Steve now, as well.

Sheppard watched as Steve's gun moved away from his own head and was turned in the direction of his accomplices instead. Something was about to go down, he could feel it, and he and Madison were right in the middle of it all. _Time to make a plan, _Sheppard decided, scanning the room for some sort of idea. His best bet was directly to his left where a booth sat, its table and thick, cushioned benches providing the best possible shield. He knew that if he could tip the table, its metal would keep away stray bullets and protect whoever was behind it for a good while.

The heated argument between the gunmen was getting more heated by the second, curse words and threats flying left and right. Sheppard knew that he had to take advantage of this moment and whispered simple instructions into Madison's ear.

"We're about to play hide-and-seek" he whispered, unnoticed by anyone else in the diner. "When I say so, I'm going to put you behind the table, and you're going to stay behind it, okay?"

She didn't say anything, but he felt her head nod slightly, indicating that she understood. Sheppard's head was pounding in time with his quickening heartbeat, anticipating the moment in which he was going to put everything on the line. His vision swam and bile was rising in his throat, but he knew this would all be over soon, whatever 'it' was.

"Did you honestly think we wouldn't notice?!" Berry screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"I'm not going back to jail for your stupid mistake!" Elton added, looking paranoid and disheveled, "We had a plan! A _good _plan and if we would have stuck to it, chances are we would have gotten out of here with loads of cash and headed to Fiji. Now look!"

Sheppard could feel it building up. Something was about to happen; it was coming and he knew it. Who would fire first and would it take out someone he needed it to, he had no idea. All he knew was that he needed to be prepared.

"You fire that gun, and we're all dead," Steve shouted back amongst the growing hysteria both inside and outside the diner.

"Better that that jail," someone shouted back, but Sheppard was already in motion. It was as though the world had slowed down to a crawl as he pulled Madison as close to his chest as possible and covered her entire body with his own as he darted to his left and discarded her under the table. At some point during all of that, a gun had been fired, just as Sheppard knew it would, and likewise, knew that bullet had not been meant for him.

As he tipped the table over with great effort, he heard a pained cry and the sound of a body falling to the ground. In a split second, he decided that Madison was as safe as she was going to get, and turned around to see Steve pointing a gun at Berry, who stood over a collapsed heap of Elton.

Sheppard saw Steve deciding whether to keep the gun on Berry or move it to Sheppard, but found it wouldn't really matter as he watched the muscles in Berry's gun arm tighten. And for some unknown reason, Sheppard found himself hurdling at Berry, tackling him before he could shoot the gun. Sheppard would probably never know why he did that, but it was done.

On their way down, Berry's head collided with the edge of a table, and Sheppard knew he was out before they ever reached the ground. _Two down, one to go, _Sheppard rationalized rather happily. Besides, the S.W.A.T. team, along with half a dozen soldiers would be in there in a second, taking care of any loose ends.

As Sheppard stumbled to his feet and staggered around, trying to find Steve, he found himself darting his gaze to where he had left Madison. His stomach turned to ice at the site of her little feet dangling, being held in Steve's arms, a gun to her head.

"Tell them to stop!" Steve yelled frantically, glancing at the phone. "No one comes in!"

Sheppard looked out the door and saw some S.W.A.T. members getting closer and figured the flash grenades or something would be coming soon. Honestly, Sheppard thought that something would have already been done, but given the uniqueness of this particular hostage situation, things were bound to be unpredictable. After given the orders however, Sheppard knew Steve meant business, and without a second thought, he dove towards the ringing phone and screamed into it, his voice distant and full of fear.

"Hold your positions!" John screamed when the phone got close enough to his pounding head. "Keep everyone out!"

"_Hold your positions!" _O'Neill yelled, and heard others on the other line follow suit. "_Sheppard, what's going on in there?!_"

John's heart was racing. This was never part of the plan. In fact, it was the one thing he _really _didn't want to happen. He couldn't seem to catch his breath or take his eyes off the panicking little girl and the man that was holding her.

"Please," she cried, tears streaming down her face. He needed to help her. Needed to do something.

"He's got her. I've got to tell him about his daughter," Sheppard stammered into the phone, breathing heavily.

There was a pause on the other line, then O'Neil spoke again, though much quieter this time.

"_I trust your judgment, Colonel, but I have a better plan. We've got a lock on Marlow and the girl. We have a clear shot from the back," _O'Neil said very clearly, "_if you can get yourself and the girl as far away as possible, we can take him out._"

Sheppard stopped for a minute and considered the General's words. "Is that allowed, sir?"

"_Colonel, I'm sure you know the delicacy of the situation and the government has said we are to take the gunmen out if given the opportunity,_" the General answered, sounding a bit unsure himself.

Something inside of John broke. This man was not someone Sheppard would have normally sent to his death; he was only trying to find answers on his daughter, but he would be damned if Steve's foolishness led to the death of someone else's daughter. Namely, McKay's sister's. He had promised Madison wouldn't be harmed, and he would do whatever it took to keep that promise.

He was suddenly reminded of a few months ago and his conversation with Henry Wallace. It had been about his daughter, too. Why was it that the Millers were paying for someone else's family issues again? No, he helped stopped the worse from happening to the family the last time, and he was going to do it again, even if it meant the not-so-bad guy had to die.

"Yes sir," Sheppard said back. "I'll tell him only what he needs to hear," he finished, pretending as if they had only talked about the information on Dana Marlow. Slowly, Sheppard laid the phone back down, his eyes never leaving Steve's, and stood up. He swayed dangerously and knew that he had a concussion now but also knew that all of this was about to come to an end.

"I'll tell you," Sheppard coaxed. "I'll tell you everything you need to know, but I want the girl. I want Madison."

Steve stood there, rocking on his feet, a blur to Sheppard due to the darkness of the diner and his hazy vision. Slowly, Steve lowered Madison to the ground, but did not take the gun from her head.

"You don't want to hurt her, Mr. Marlow," John continued to cajoled softly, knowing he needed to get through to the man. "I don't want you to either. Listen to me, your daughter is alive. She's alive and she's under my command, but before I tell you anything else, I want Madison with me. You can keep the gun on us, just let me hold her. Please. I'll tell you everything."

Steve's face made a 180 change from desperation to hope, and Sheppard felt something like pity race through him, knowing that Steve would not be able to enjoy this news for very long.

"Give me the girl," Sheppard repeated, feeling that he was about get through to Steve/Marlow. He looked into Madison's eyes again, and saw her staring at him longingly, still crying. He then saw her abandoned little picture out the corner of his eye, and felt his heart sink. And when his eyes met Steve's once more, he knew he had won.

The hand wrapped around Madison's chest slipped away, and the other hand holding the gun repositioned itself to point at John. Madison did not move at first, but remained standing in the one spot, shaking like a leaf. Sheppard lowered himself to his knees, partly for his own benefit, partly for hers, but mostly for the fact that he could better avoid a sniper's bullet from the ground. Sheppard refocused on Madison, and held his arms out to her.

"Come here, Madison," he beckoned silently to the trembling girl. "We're about to go home to see Mommy." That got her. She suddenly ran at him and into his outstretched arms. He cradled her like she was his own; pulling her close and rubbing her back.

He needed to stay focused! The shot would be coming at any minute now.

"She's alive?" Marlow questioned softly, a single tear running down his cheek. "Dana… alive…"

Steve was interrupted, though, by the sound of glass breaking and Sheppard knew exactly what was coming.

He held on tight to Madison as he turned around so that his back was now to Steve. And sure enough, seconds before the sound of the sniper's bullet impacting Steve's body could be heard, an additional bullet was fired, immediately followed by a stabbing pain in Sheppard's back, somewhere near his right shoulder.

As the world around him grew darker and time became a distant notion, Sheppard was vaguely aware of a young girl screaming, dozens of feet attached to bodies he couldn't see filling the diner and putting their hands on him.

The pain was simply unbearable, but he couldn't pass out, not yet. He searched desperately for Madison, realizing in pure terror that she was no longer in his arms. He felt himself starting to panic and tried so hard to fight the hands gripping at him and the growing darkness around him. Where was she? He had to keep her safe.

"Sheppard, it's okay," someone said, very close to his ear. "We've got her. She's fine. Let them help you."

He wasn't sure if he completely trusted the voice, but the dark was no longer just enticing, it was demanding. He tried to fight it for a little while, but it became too much for him. With one last desperate plea to anyone that would listen for Madison's safety, he slipped away at long last.

* * *

_End of chapter 4 - Hope you all enjoyed and please be patient as I try to improve the ending, but I don't imagine a much longer wait than the time it took to post this chapter. Thanks again, and have a wonderful weekend!_


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **As always, sorry for the wait. Life gets... crazy. And, this chapter took an extra long time because of all the medical research I had to do for it. Which reminds me, I did my very best at keeping this as realistic as possible. I think it's believable, if not completely accurate. But I am sorry to all of those in the medical profession (or have medical knowledge) and if this isn't very accurate.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine

**Warning: **Nothing that I know of.

**Thanks: **Everyone who reviewed and everyone who has stuck with me. I know the posting gets a little annoying, but I am trying.

**HUGE thanks: **My beta, who is sooooo much help! _sandgnat10_!

**In the Arms of Angels - Part V**

* * *

Jeannie's prayers had been almost constant. She found them comforting, and they helped keep her mind off what was going on in the diner. As long as she prayed, she felt like she was doing something.

It had been about an hour after she walked out of the diner, leaving Madison inside, that she saw her husband fighting with some officers to get through the caution tape. Thankfully, General O'Neill took care of getting him through the crowd so he could be with Jeannie. The frantic questions had come, the shaky hugs; everything she would have expected, but nothing she wanted. The problem was, Jeannie didn't know what she wanted. Other than having Madison in her arms, of course, but beyond that, no one's hopeful words or shoulder squeezes made a difference to her.

She was happier when Caleb calmed down, taking a seat next to her and holding her hand. Her prayers had become senseless mumblings by now, just repeated words and phrases that she felt were most important, while never taking her eyes off the diner. But the prayers helped her and Caleb didn't question her or try to object.

The area around the diner had mostly been evacuated. There wasn't much surrounding the small diner, but the few buildings had been emptied and the group of onlookers and media hounds had been pushed back several yards to keep them from harm. Jeannie and Caleb had been permitted to stay closer, but were still ordered to stay in a military issues vehicle a ways off from the diner. But Jeannie could still see it, and that was good enough for now; it had to be.

Jeannie was certain she noticed the change in the diner before any of the officials did. It wasn't just the blurry outlines against the half-drawn blinds quickening their movements, but a sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She knew something was very wrong before the police and different military teams started to panic and order each other around.

She didn't realize she had stood, the thin blanket falling limply to the ground. The senseless mumbling stopped, along with any other rational thought in her mind. She was walking. Walking towards the diner and brushing off her husband's feeble attempts to hold her back. She wanted to go back in the diner. She wanted to be with her daughter. How well did she really know John Sheppard? Not very well, and yet she had left Madison in there with him.

She kept walking, closing the distance between herself and General O'Neill, getting closer to the diner. No one touched her, not for a while, at least. She heard a few people shouting, but there was a lot of that going on lately.

And just as she get near to the command post she felt strong arms wrap around her, ceasing her efforts. She tried to wiggle free, but it was futile, so she turned to words.

"Please, let me go," pleaded Jeannie, her voice shaky. "I need to be with my daughter." Becoming frustrated with her inability to get closer to the diner, she ordered, "Let me go!"

"Mrs. Miller, please," General O'Neill said. "You have to stop!"

But she kept fighting him, the sinking feeling in her gut growing, knowing the situation was getting worse by the second. "Please!! My daughter… Madison… please!"

She was then being pulled further away, pulled back from the diner. She fought harder. Something horrible was happening, she could feel it. She kept begging him; his efforts of trying to calm her falling short. Then she heard it.

A gunshot filled the air, making all the onlookers scream, though the sound was very distant, and the soldiers and police stiffened. But she didn't care. She froze and stopped fighting O'Neill, letting herself crumble to the ground, which worked out nicely because the General was already running for his command center.

The world around her burst into a flurry of movement while she stayed on the ground, the only bit of stability she could find. She found herself screaming, sobbing, or a combination of both. Her words were inaudible, even to her, and she barely noticed when Caleb joined her on the ground.

The atmosphere was already think with tension, but the gunshot ratcheted up the tension until it was almost unbearable. Jeannie had thought the S.W.A.T. team and others were suppose to be going in upon hearing a gunshot, and she had simply assumed that they were going to. However, when she gathered the strength to look up, she saw that the saviors of the day were not going in at all; they were waiting outside, as though the people inside had time for them to wait around.

Jeannie wanted to scream. Tell them to get their asses in there and bring her daughter out, but her voice was suddenly nonexistent. She tried to get up, but her body was terribly uncoordinated and the extreme tremors of her every limb wasn't helping.

Her gaze wandered over to General O'Neill, who was holding a phone to his ear, talking to someone on the phone. The same phone they had been trying to contact the occupants of the diner with. _They answered! _But who? Had someone been shot? Was Madison okay? Was John dead, and now Steve was bragging about it? What was going on in there?

She watched General O'Neill hang up the phone and tap his earpiece.

"What?" Jeannie whispered, finally finding her voice, though raspy. "Caleb, what's happening?"

Caleb was looking around as well, appearing just as confused and concerned as she did. Jeannie knew a gun had gone off, yet no one was doing a damn thing about it! She found enough strength to lift herself from the cold pavement and pull away from Caleb. She was walked towards General O'Neill, furious and intent on getting answers.

She was almost there, so close to getting the answers she so desperately wanted and needed, when another shot rang out. She stopped dead in her tracks. That was it; for everyone, apparently. A flurry of motion and noise erupted again. More shouts and gasps, more panic and more confusion. But what mattered most to Jeannie was that the good guys were going in.

They were getting her daughter. They were bringing Madison home.

She was crying again, trembling and shaking with anxiety and fear. It was over, though she wasn't sure what _it _was. Was it the end of Steve's life, or John's? Or worse, Madison's? No, she couldn't think like that. She mustn't.

She continued to watch the diner as the members of the S.W.A.T. team swarmed it, and heard them yelling and saw the lights of their guns illuminating the darkened building. She couldn't make anything out other than the S.W.A.T. team through the diner windows. What did that mean? Was no one else in the diner able to stand? What was going on?

She heard General O'Neill talking with someone who was apparently within the diner.

"Right," he gravely said into the radio before turning to his aide beside. "We need four ambulances."

Jeannie panicked. Four ambulances? _Four? _There were only five people in the diner, which meant her daughter could have been one of the one's hurt. Either way, at least one of the people she cared about in that diner was hurt.

"General!," yelled Jeannie, breaking away from Caleb's arms and running over to General O'Neill. "My daughter -," she cried, tears still pouring over her face. "What about Madison?! Is she okay?"

O'Neill grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them. "She's fine," he said. "They're bringing her out."

The world stopped. It was what she had been hoping and praying for the entire time. Those precious, beautiful words. The darkness within her lifted and she found it hard to stand. Then Caleb was there, holding onto her and laughing a shaky, trembling laugh. Even the twinkling lights the stars provided seemed to shine brighter than they had all night.

"Jeannie," Caleb said, pointing, "look."

She knew where to look; it was the same dreadful place her eyes had been locked on for hours. Yet, nothing could have been as beautiful as what she was seeing now. Against the jet black uniform of a S.W.A.T. member, a pink dress stood out as Madison was carried out of the diner. She was vaguely aware that everyone was clapping now at the sight of Madison, alive and well. But no one were more thrilled than Jeannie; she was running forward again, only this time, no one tried to stop her, not that anyone could have. She reached them and threw her arms out around the man and around her daughter. She heard the man laugh heartily as he handed Madison over to her.

It was one of the sweetest moments Jeannie had ever experienced in her life, rivaling that of the first moment she held her newborn baby girl in her arms. That day seemed so far from now as she held Madison, her strong little girl, no longer a baby. She vaguely noticed people pushing by her and entering the diner, but she paid them no mind.

Still, something wasn't completely right. The initial happiness that accompanied the news of her daughter's safety dissipated, only slightly, as it occurred to her exactly what that meant. It meant John was hurt. Meant he had more than likely been shot trying to protect her daughter.

Jeannie reluctantly handed Madison to Caleb, feeling horrible as she did so, but she had to know what happened to John. She turned back to the diner and tried to get closer, felt her stomach flutter and clench at the thought of going back in. As she neared the diner's entrance, a soldier stopped her from entering. She didn't fight him, but tried to peer around him to see inside the diner.

Seconds later, a gurney surrounded by paramedics rushed out the door, pushing Jeannie to the side, allowing her a quick glimpse of it's occupant. It was John. He was pale, blood covering his face, more so than the last time she saw him, and now, the entire right side of his chest was covered in blood as well. The paramedics hustled around him, shouting different things and grabbing different objects. John's eyes were closed, and Jeannie was sure he was unconscious. At least he was not in pain.

Her stomach tightened, not knowing how John was hurt, or what she was going to tell Mer when he got there. Had they been notified yet? Jeannie knew they would want to know as John was basically a part of their family.

She saw more bodies being taken from the diner, but her attention was still on Colonel Sheppard's gurney being put in the back of an ambulance. They would take him to the SGC's infirmary to be sure he wouldn't reveal any of the SGC's secrets while he was disoriented. Jeannie just hoped she would be able to see him because there was so much she needed to tell him. More importantly, she just hoped she would get that chance at all.

As his ambulance pulled away, Jeannie turned back to her small, but wonderful family. Once again, they were safe. They would get another day together, and that was good enough for her. She just hoped that keeping her family safe didn't take away a part of Mer's.

She wanted to leave now, wanted to forget this place ever existed and go somewhere, anywhere, else. Caleb seemed to read her mind as he gently urged her forward. They were going to be taken to the SGC in one of the military vehicles, General O'Neill had mentioned that earlier. As they made their way to the awaiting car, Jeannie turned back to get one last look at the diner.

She stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn't even considered the diner's name in all the hours spent staring at it, but now it seemed important, and in many ways, ironic.

The large, moonlit sign read, _Angel's._

Jeannie smiled and felt more tears forming in her eyes as she remembered her prayers and how they had been answered. Madison had always been in the arms of an angel, just maybe not one from heaven. With that thought, she was ready to leave.

The ride to the SGC was a silent and quick one, complete with tears and a few forced words, but not much else. Once they had arrived at the SGC, they were informed that Caleb and Madison would have to remain in one of the small conference rooms; the same one, in fact, that Jeannie had been sitting in earlier that same day, although that seemed like days ago now.

Caleb had not fought with her or complained about it; he knew she needed to be there for John. "I just wish I could thank him myself," Caleb had said before Jeannie was escorted towards the infirmary. She understood why she wasn't exactly allowed to freely roam about the underground base, and even appreciated it as she didn't know where to go anyway.

They were in a silver-walled elevator now and when the door slid open, she saw her brother, pacing back and forth outside the infirmary. He stopped pacing when he heard them approach, and was suddenly coming at her. Before she had time to react, his arms flew around her, taking her surprise. She returned the hug after a moment, but he pulled away shortly after.

"What… what happened?" he choked, looking completely disheveled. "I heard there was a hostage situation. I just got here but they wouldn't let me leave because it was over and they said that you were coming here,… I just saw him. I-I don't know what's going on and… where's Madison? They said she was there but where is she? What the hell happened?"

_They haven't really told him anything_, Jeannie thought. She didn't want to relive the nightmare so soon, and even so, there was so much that happened in that diner she didn't know about. She didn't know how John had gotten shot, or who took out all of the gunmen. The only thing she had gotten from Madison was that John had forced her to hide behind a table or something like that. Jeannie could guess what had happened, but that was it.

She told him what she knew, which was not that much, and then joined him in waiting. It was awkward; neither really knew what to say to the other. Jeannie knew Mer was happy she and Madison were alright, but was still very worried about John.

"I'm sorry Mer," Jeannie said finally, feeling as though something needed to be said. "I'm sorry for all of this."

"What?" he asked, lifting his head and looking at her with a confused expression. "Sorry for what, exactly? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Jeannie shook her head and fought back tears. "I… I don't know. Everything that's happened."

"Oh, well you know its not your fault," he tried to console her, but didn't seem very comfortable with it. She still appreciated it, though.

"I just wanted him to feel like he had someone here, you know," she continued; she needed to say these things. "And I know things would have been different if Madison wasn't there. He probably would have taken them out or something, but John promised me he would take care of her." She saw Mer smile knowingly at her words, the opposite of what she would have expected. "And now you had to come here and wait…"

She was interrupted by Rodney's forced laugh. "This? This is nothing. Well, let's just say I'm used to it. Normally, Ronon and Teyla would be here, but seeing as how both of them are off world…"

Jeannie stopped and looked at him. "So, it's like this a lot? People getting hurt and almost dying?"

Rodney stuttered as he tried to find the right words, "Well, kind of. Not all the time, of course, but it happens. Especially with Sheppard. I tell you, his ATA gene can't possibly be as strong as his suicidal one, that's for sure.," he said with a smirk. "Always jumping in front of bullets and volunteering for suicide missions…"

His words washed over Jeannie and something occurred to her all of the sudden: John Sheppard was an angel. Not the stereotypical kind, of course, but he fit Jeannie's standards of an angel. He was able to keep so many safe during the worst of times, even if it meant giving his own life.

"So, Ronon and Teyla are off-world?" Jeannie asked, trying to move away from the talk of death.

"Yeah. Was supposed to be a three-day recovery mission on some storm-ravaged planet. Communication is not the best there, but Carter's trying to get a hold of them."

Jeannie nodded, "I'm sure they'd like to be here as well."

Mer nodded but said nothing else. They sat in silence for the most part, exchanging a few forced words every-so-often, but none of them ever amounted to true conversations. Not that Jeannie had shared many conversations with her brother over the years, but it didn't decrease the nagging feeling she had that something needed to be said.

Time became a distant notion to her after about two hours. She had already spoken with Kaleb and knew he and Madison were back at his mother's house. Jeannie's goodbye with Madison had been an unnaturally long one, filled with numerous hugs and kissed, but they had parted. Two hours stretched into three, but finally, the infirmary doors opened and out came a young female doctor who looked very tired. Suddenly, Mer was standing and meeting her in the middle of the hallway. Jeannie followed suit and also stood.

"How is he?" Mer questioned immediately. "Better yet, let's start with his injuries."

Jeannie sighed, hearing the accusing tone in her brother's voice and remembered his distrust in medicine. However, when she saw the doctor's face, Jeannie knew the doctor was capable of handling him.

"Colonel Sheppard is going to be okay," she said sternly. "The bullet did quite a bit of damage, but he is luckily his ribs did what they were supposed to do. The bullet actually hit one of his ribs and was then ricocheted into his shoulder. The rib it hit was broken and another fractured, but at least we didn't have to remove the bullet from his lung."

Jeannie nodded, grateful that this doctor, Dr. Maisley, was explaining everything so that she could understand it. Jeannie glanced over at Rodney and was almost surprised to see him quiet and not questioning every last thing that was said.

"The bullet didn't do a lot of damage to his shoulder. Nothing that we could fix, anyway. However, halfway through the surgery we found that the broken rib lacerated an intercostal artery which had caused the Colonel todevelop a hemothorax, or bleeding around the lungs, but a chest tube was inserted and the blood is draining nicely."

Jeannie looked at her brother once more and noticed he looked a little green, no doubt from the idea of a tube sticking out of John's chest, as it was an unsettling thought for herself. Dr. Maisley seemed to sense this uneasiness in them because a weary, yet reassuring smile formed on her face.

"I expect a full recovery. We'll just have to watch him for the next two weeks or so to ensure that the drainage is working properly, but other than that, he's going to be really sore."

"Is that all?" Jeannie asked now. "Just the bullet? I know he took a pretty good hit to the head and chest, and that was before I left."

Dr. Maisley nodded. "Yes, he did have a slight concussion, I also saw some bruising on his chest that is not due to the gunshot wound he received. That just means we'll be monitoring his pain management that more closely, especially with the concussion. We want to make sure that the Colonel's pain is under control but that he is not so heavily sedated that his breathing becomes compromised or that he becomes nauseated."

Mer grunted amusingly at this comment, causing both Jeannie and Dr. Maisley to look at him questioningly.

"He doesn't like pain meds," Mer said simply with a shrug.

"Well, I'm sure he won't mind them this time."

"_This time_? He doesn't like them _any_time. Of course, he won't notice until he's lucid, but then he'll prefer the pain over the '_way it makes him feel_'," said Rodney, ending the sentence in what Jeannie guessed was his best impression of Colonel Sheppard. Either way, the comment made Jeannie smile and when she looked at Dr. Maisley, she too was smiling.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Once we get Colonel Sheppard settled into the ICU, I don't see why you can't sit with him for a few minutes. It will be a while though before we can get him settled."

Jeannie felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders and saw the strong relief in Mer as well. Although John had not escaped unscathed, he was alive and had kept Madison safe. So, all in all, not a bad ending to the day.

Jeannie gently lowered herself to her chair, prepared to wait with her brother until they were allowed to see John. With a relieved sigh, she closed her eyes and said one last thing to God; she did not ask anything of Him, simply thanked Him for staying with her and the people in the diner and getting her to where she was now.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed Mer had his eyes closed as well. She briefly wondered if he was praying too, but decided it was a silly thought. She sighed and relaxed her back against the chair's back, and waited.

* * *

"_I haven't seen that one yet, is it any good?"_

"_Haven't seen it? I live in another galaxy and I've seen it, how on… _Earth_ could you not have seen it yet?"_

Sheppard was vaguely aware of voices speaking near him, but the heaviness in his eyelids overpowered his urge to see who was speaking. He wasn't sure about a lot of things at the given moment, but he knew he didn't feel _right. _He was not in pain, per se, but he felt achy. It wasn't pleasant, but he found the confusion of it all to be even more unbearable.

Sheppard briefly considered trying to find out more about his current surroundings and the state at which he was in, but quickly decided against it. Sleep sounded much more appealing and easy, and so he allowed himself to tune the hushed voices out, and slipped into peaceful darkness.

* * *

**EN: **One more chapter to go! I'll try to get it out soon, but please forgive me if it takes another week.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **This took much longer than I thought but life has whumped me hard. Lost a friend this week and... well, yeah. Sorry for the wait but it's longer than all the others.

**Thanks: **To all who have stuck through to the end.

**Super Thanks: **To _sandgnat10 _who improved this story sooo much.

Enjoy the last.

**In the Arms of Angels - Part VI**

* * *

Jeannie glanced at Rodney and found herself smiling at his nervousness; she had never seen him like this. It shed a whole new light on her brother, it was actually kind of nice.

They were currently occupying the hallway outside of the infirmary and were not-so-patiently waiting to be allowed back in. It had been a little over a day since John had gotten out of surgery. After being allowed in to sit with him, both Jeannie and Rodney had been by John's side almost constantly. With the exception of heading to Caleb's mother's house to get a few hours of uneasy sleep, Jeannie had stayed in the infirmary as much as possible.

During those long hours of silent vigil, Colonel Sheppard had 'woken up' several times, though he had been anything but lucid, mostly he would just cough a little or moan. A nurse or Dr. Maisley would speak to him, only to find him deeply asleep once again. Having never been in a similar situation, Jeannie found the 'watch and wait' routine to be severely unnerving, especially when John woke up and looked around with blank, glazed eyes. This was not how she pictured John Sheppard. It seemed wrong, even though the nurses insisted that he was simply sleeping off the anesthesia.

The last time John woke up was much different than his previous attempts and Jeannie noticed right away. When John woke up this time, his eyes opened, and _this time_ he was actually _seeing _what was around him. If that was not enough to convince Jeannie, the fact that Dr. Maisley had kicked her and Rodney out of the infirmary to run a few tests on her patient was the final indicator.

John was finally awake.

So here they were, waiting to go back into the infirmary and finally talk to John. Or at least see him. Jeannie wanted John to know that she was still there for him, and she would remain there until she was absolutely certain he would be okay, just like he did with Madison.

Moments later, a nurse popped her head out of the infirmary doors and smiled warmly, "You can sit with him now."

Jeannie looked at Rodney and smiled before entering the infirmary. As they neared John's bed, Jeannie felt her stomach flutter with some unknown emotion at seeing John looking at her and Rodney approach. There was no doubt, however, that John was fighting sleep as his eyelids were only half-opened and continuously drooping, but there he was - awake and even smiling.

He was still sitting up at about a thirty degree angle, one that the nurses said would improve his breathing and help with drainage. Jeannie found that she liked him sitting up because it made him seem more animated. Apart from that, he still had gauze wrapped around his head and more around his ribcage. And of course, the tube that was slowly draining blood away from his lung. Neither Jeannie nor Rodney sat on the side of John's bed that had the tube coming out.

"Hey," John breathed so quietly, sleepily, it was barely audible.

"Hey, yourself, Colonel," Rodney said rather loudly, stopping at John's bedside, just staring. "You can't even go to Earth without almost dying…"

"_Mer!_" Jeannie chastised, thinking that Rodney's comment was not the most appropriate thing to say at the moment. But when she looked at Colonel Sheppard, she noticed that his tired smile had grown. Maybe it was just their way of handling things, Jeannie thought.

"How are you feeling?" Jeannie asked, but she suddenly felt foolish for asking such an obvious question. John didn't seem annoyed at all, though. In fact, he still seemed rather loopy and content.

"M'good," he responded, his eyes finally closing. Jeannie was sure he had fallen asleep again. But seconds later, his eyelids parted once more.

"Just go back to sleep, Sheppard," Rodney said, sounding annoyed but Jeannie knew better. "That way I can make fun of you and not feel so bad about it."

"So, y'do have… conscience…," John slurred before letting his eyes close again. His breathing deepened, though it still sounded unnaturally hitched, which Jeannie thought was a product of his injuries. Either way, Jeannie knew that John was asleep this time, so she located the chair she had been occupying, Rodney doing the same, and they both eased back into them and started the waiting game all over again. This time was easier, of course, because Jeannie had seen the Colonel awake, had seen him smile and even make a joke. Whatever doubts Jeannie had about John's recovery before, dwindled now. She felt much better.

* * *

John awoke to the sound of fingers typing away on a computer and the beeping of machines. He wondered how many times he had woken up to those same sounds before. Luckily, he knew where he was, why he was there, and why there was a dull ache in his right side from his shoulder to his lower ribcage. He remembered waking up to a strange doctor hovering over him and the panic involved with having no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. The doctor - Maisley, was it? - had explained the situation. After the initial shock wore off and the doctor finished her tests, he vaguely remembered seeing McKay and Jeannie before drifting back to sleep.

Sheppard wanted to open his eyes now and look around, although he had a pretty good idea who was sitting near him with a laptop. He was just so tired and knew he was still having drugs pumped into him, albeit not as much as usual, as Dr. Maisley had explained, so his breathing wouldn't be 'compromised.' John sighed. He was never very good with the medical stuff.

"Sheppard?" John heard someone ask quietly, confirming his theory that McKay was close by. "Colonel, are you awake? I know you are awake…"

He was busted; McKay knew he was awake and there was really no point in trying to slip back into the wonderful world of sleep. He mustered up a little energy and forced his eyes open. He was greeted by McKay's face floating over his own. John groaned and feebly attempted to swat at McKay but was still too weak.

"You want me to get the doctor?" McKay asked. "Dr. Daisy, or something like that…"

John smiled and slowly shook his head, "M'fine."

McKay sighed at this response and rolled his eyes. "Always the same answer with you - you are so predictable," he grumble, sliding back into his chair. Despite that irritated façade, John could see the relief on McKay's face.

"Jeannie and Madison okay?"

"Oh yeah, they're fine too. Jeannie went back to be with the family for a little while but she'll be back, I'm sure," McKay replied absentmindedly.

Sheppard smiled to himself. Like brother, like sister. Of course, _Jeannie_ took the time to be with her family and didn't just sit in the infirmary, unlike McKay, but they were still similar.

"How'er you?"

"Oh fine, you know, just had to come down here to hear that you almost got yourself killed again."

John frowned. "Didn't you say something like that last time I was awake?"

"Yeah, but it needs to be said again, and again, and every other time you pull a stunt like this," McKay answered, sinking further into his chair. "I've got to say this, though, this time was a little different than most," he added, a little quieter than before.

"Yeah. No Wraith or Replicators," said Sheppard with a smirk, although he had an idea that McKay was implying something entirely different than their normal run of the mill of the Pegasus Galaxy villains. He watched Rodney now as silence fell between them, and could tell the astrophysicist was getting uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Then there was Jeannie and Madison. That definitely qualifies as out-of-the-norm," McKay said quietly, his eyes not quite meeting John's. There it was, John thought; the thing that McKay wanted to say, but didn't know how to do so. Not that John blamed him; he was just as lost in sentimental moments like these.

"Yeah, but it all ended up okay."

"Yeah. Yeah, it did," McKay said, finally looking into Sheppard's eyes. "Thanks. I… uh… thanks."

"No problem," Sheppard responded simply. This is how it always was whenever one of them ended up in the infirmary; one usually had the other to thank for some heroic act or another. And every time it was awkward, but Sheppard and McKay had an unspoken understanding that allowed those moments to pass quickly while still having the same effect.

"What's going on in Atlantis?" John asked, knowing the time was ripe for a change in subject.

"Fine, actually," said McKay, sitting up in his chair and seemingly relived to move away from their last conversation. "It's all been pretty quiet. And the last I heard, Carter got a hold of Ronon and Teyla. (They were helping the clean-up effort on M7X-895, by the way,) but they probably won't be here for another eight hours or so. They are currently stuck on the Midway Station under the mandatory 24-hour quarantine."

John found himself getting unbearably tired once more and wondered when this lethargy would pass. This was one of the worst parts about being in the infirmary; they always kept him drugged, and even now when it wasn't a whole lot, he still felt so tired. Then there was the always present ache from his shoulder. He preferred it, however, over more pain medication to ease the pain. The listlessness began to take over and the world around him dimmed slightly.

He got lost in different thoughts about his team and about Atlantis, thoughts that soon morphed into odd flashes of men with guns and screams and gunshots. He could almost hear his heart start to beat faster than natural; it matched the aching in his shoulder and head. The man in his dream was pointing the gun now, not at Sheppard, but at some small girl. He was about to shoot, Sheppard could feel it. He wanted to stop the gunman, save the girl…

"Colonel Sheppard," the gunman said suddenly, causing Sheppard to frown deeply. The voice was soft and more importantly, belonging to a woman.

"Colonel Sheppard, can you open your eyes for me?"

Okay, now that was definitely not right. The room he had been in with the gunman morphed into the SGC's infirmary, and he immediately remembered the fiasco at _Angel's. _

When John opened his eyes, it was not McKay he saw hovering over him, but a nurse.

"Ah, there's your eyes," the nurse said with a warm smile. "You were having a nightmare. How are you feeling, Colonel?"

John looked around the infirmary and was almost surprised to see no one sitting beside him. He thought for sure he had just been talking with McKay. "Good," he answered anyway.

The nurse smiled again and wrote a few things down on her clipboard. "Glad to hear it. And even more glad to report that you are improving very nicely. Dr. Maisley will be able to tell you more, of course, but she won't be in for a little while longer. You need anything?"

He thought for a moment, then decided that he didn't need anything. He still felt tired and achy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time he had been awake. In fact, he was pretty alert and was already getting that restless and anxious feeling he always got when he was confined to an infirmary bed. And that feeling always intensified when he was alone.

"How long?" John asked the nurse.

"Since the last time you were awake?" she said, glancing down at her clipboard, "About ten hours, give or take. Dr. McKay was here for most of it, but we _convinced _him to take a nap," she said with a smirk, implying they did a little more than 'convincing'. "Then, more people came to visit you and actually, they just left to get something to eat, then they will be right back. They'll be upset to know that you woke up right after they left," she said, smoothing the covers at John's feet.

"There _is_ one young lady who arrived with the others who wished to visit with you. She, however, refuses to leave the infirmary hallway until she can speak with you, but she also refuses to come in until you give her permission," the nurse continued, still smiling.

This information had Sheppard confused; he knew that the first two visitors had been Teyla and Ronon, but who was this 'young lady'?

"Are you feeling up to it, Colonel?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure."

"Very good, sir. I will go get her. Remember, don't over do it and if you need anything just let me know," the nurse said before walking over to the infirmary door. Seconds later, Captain Dana Marlow walked in. Sheppard's eyes widened in surprise; he never would have guessed that she would be here, but then again, it made sense.

The young officer did not look at her CO directly, just strode immediately over to his bedside and stood at attention at attention. John could still see her face, and he wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Sir!" she said with a salute.

"At ease, Captain," Sheppard responded, and watched as her muscles relaxed only slightly. He saw her look at him a few times, but her eyes never lingered for very long. Sheppard really didn't know what he was supposed to say to the young woman. He had never really gotten to know her, but trusted her judgment and knew she was a very proficient and dedicated soldier. She had been one of the first to join the Atlantis crew, and the fact that she was still alive spoke for itself.

"It's nice to see you, Captain," said John, pausing for a moment in hopes of her carrying on with what she wanted to say. But when she did not, he added awkwardly, "I'm guessing you're here to… tell me something?"

Sheppard watched her and saw her lip quiver for a second. _Please don't let her start crying, _he thought desperately. He wasn't good at the emotional stuff even when he could move around and think at his best level, but being bedridden and weak made the task near impossible.

"I… I am very sorry about what m-my… _father _did, sir," she said finally.

"It's not your fault…," he trailed off uncertainly.

"We had a falling out years ago. But he… he was never violent, sir. Never."

"It would amaze you what a parent would go through for their children," Sheppard responded, taking himself by surprise. "Not that I would know, exactly," he added quickly, "but I've seen some parents in action and… well, they can be pretty scary."

Marlow nodded and reverted her gaze to her feet. John was sure she was wiping her eyes, but he pretended not to notice.

"Yes, sir. I'm still sorry, sir. If I thought there was even a chance he would have done something like this…"

"Captain," Sheppard said, cutting her off and suddenly wishing he shared the same understanding with Captain Marlow as he did with McKay. "It's okay. Really. You had no control over this. And… I'm sorry you lost your father."

Marlow frowned at this and looked up. "He's not dead, sir. Not yet, anyway," she added softly, "they don't expect him to survive much longer."

This took John off guard. He had assumed the man had been killed, especially since it was the bullet of trained snipers took him out.

"I spoke with General O'Neill, sir," Marlow continued, apparently sensing the need to fill her boss in on what happened. "He said that he gave the order to 'take him _down_,' not '_out'. _So, the snipers… they didn't shoot to kill, just incapacitate."

Sheppard thought about this new information and what it meant. Steve wasn't dead. Very close to being dead, perhaps, but not dead. The subject was one that had been lurking in the back of John's mind because if there had been one failure that night, it was that he had been unable to get Steve out alive, or so he thought.

"Have you seen your father?" asked Sheppard. When the Captain shook her head, John debated on whether or not to pursue the subject. On one hand, part of him didn't feel like it was his business, but on the other, what John said now could make all the difference in this young officer's life. John thought briefly of his dysfunctional relationship with his own father and how similar it was to Captain Marlow's. He thought about what he would do if his father suddenly died.

"Look, Captain," John said finally, "I don't know what this is like for you or what happened between you and your father, but I think you should know… I think he was a good man. Desperate, maybe, but deep down… he was still a good man. This isn't really my business, but I just don't want you to… to do something you'll regret later," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "I don't blame you, Captain. Your father did all of this for you. While I don't respect his method of getting answers, I think he just saw this as his last resort."

Tears were now falling freely from Marlow's eyes. Sheppard wished he knew what to say to her. He didn't want her to cry, but he really thought she deserved to know all of this. She stood before him for a few more minutes, fighting tooth and nail to get her emotions under control. Finally, she pulled herself together enough to speak.

"Thank you, sir."

Sheppard nodded and watched as she saluted him then walked out the door, her gait slightly lighter. John was pleased to see it, and even more pleased to see Ronon and Teyla walk in just as Marlow was leaving.

"Colonel, you are awake," Teyla greeted with a warm smile. Sometimes John forgot how much he missed that smile.

"Yes, I am," Sheppard replied, smiling and shifting uncomfortably in his bed. "I heard you guys played clean-up crew."

"Then you heard correctly, Colonel. Tolana suffered severe storm damage and they asked us to assist them in rescue efforts as well as reconstruction."

"Heard you were held hostage," Ronon said simply, smirking.

John tried to shrug, but pain shot through his body, originating on his shoulder. He told himself to remember to not do that again. "Yep. Sounds like another good week for the Atlantis flagship team…"

Both Ronon and Teyla laughed and they all continued to talk for about ten minutes until Dr. Maisley came in.

"Hello, Colonel," she greeted cheerfully. "You ready for those breathing exercises and a quick scan of your chest?" she asked as though she was offering him a drink. John groaned and let his head fall against his pillows.

"Sure."

* * *

It had been over a week since the incident, and Jeannie could hardly believe it.

She had been going back and forth between the SGC checking on John, and Caleb's parent's house, to be with her daughter and husband. Needless to say, it had been one hell of a week.

However, she had to admit that things were beginning to calm down and get back to normal. Jeannie and Caleb had agreed that they would take Madison to a psychiatrist when they got back home, just to make sure the trauma she endured would not cause any long-term effects. Although, Jeannie thought that Madison was taking it all very well. She would mention little things like, "That man with the gun said this," and "Colonel Sheppard did that…," but other than that, she spoke and acted like normal. This came as a huge relief to both Jeannie and Caleb.

On the other end of Jeannie's spectrum, Colonel Sheppard showed an equal amount of improvement. She had seen him awake plenty of times now and he was doing so well, in fact, that Jeannie was beginning to wonder why she kept coming back to visit. Sure, John had done her a great service and Jeannie had promised herself that she would stay until she was sure he was alright. And she had. John was fine. They had finally taken out the chest tube, and he was even going for short walks now. But Jeannie kept coming back.

A part of her knew why. She wanted to talk to him, thank him. She hadn't really had the chance yet, and in the moments that she _could_ have talked to him, she always ended up putting it off. Partly because she wasn't sure what to say, and partly because she didn't want to start an emotional conversation with him while he was still recovering.

But now her excuses were running out as John went from staying awake and joking around for long periods of time, to walking around the infirmary, and finally, to having the tube removed. The removal of the tube had only happened yesterday, but with it went Jeannie's very last excuse.

She decided to come back that night when she figured the least amount of people would be there. She arrived at the SGC and was escorted down to the infirmary. She looked towards John's bed and saw only his feet and Teyla, who was resting in a chair next to the bed. Jeannie stopped for a moment, considering coming back later, when Teyla turned around and spotter her.

"Jeannie," Teyla greeted, standing from her chair, "It is a pleasure to see you again."

Jeannie smiled back politely and took a few steps closer to the bed. She now had a clear view of John who raised his hand and waved. She was pleased to see that he was sitting up in bed, wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, and was not under thee covers. Jeannie waved back and closed the remaining distance between herself and the bed; there was no sense in trying to leave now.

"How you doin?" John asked before Jeannie could say anything.

"I'm doing great, actually. How about you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," he responded with a sigh. "Ready to get out of here," he added, rolling his eyes toward Teyla, who smiled and shook her head.

"Colonel Sheppard was telling me of a movie - _Rambo_, I believe - and his desire to act in a similar manner as the lead character," Teyla explained to Jeannie. Jeannie didn't even try to suppress her laugh.

"Not exactly like he did, but the general idea of breaking free," John clarified.

"I see," said Jeannie, chuckling, "but you can't be in here for much longer, can you?"

This made John grin. "Nope. We're leaving tomorrow via the _Daedalus. _It'll take longer than the Midway Station but…"

"Dr. Maisley believes it would be best for Colonel Sheppard to be surrounded by a more sophisticated medical system than the Midway Station can provide," Teyla finished for him.

"Not that I need it," John added, sounding much like a child.

"You are improving, John, but Dr. Maisley said that if a problem should occur, the _Daedalus_ could provide the necessary medical attention to handle it efficiently."

John sighed, but did not speak again. Teyla shared a look with Jeannie, one that reminded Jeannie distinctly as a mother's look. She glanced down at Teyla's growing stomach and decided that the Athosian would make a fantastic mother after having to put up with Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, and her brother.

A short silence fell over the room and Jeannie wondered how she would start the conversation, if she was going to at all. She still wasn't too sure what to say, and was equally unsure of she wanted to say it all in front of Teyla. As though she read Jeannie's mind, Teyla moved away from her chair and stepped closer to Jeannie.

"I believe I am craving - what was it, again? - hot sauce?" she said aloud, "I think I will see if the mess hall can assist me. Jeannie," she said, bowing slightly, then turning to John. "I'll will return soon. Make him behave."

John rolled his eyes again and watched Teyla leave, then turned to face Jeannie.

"So, you really doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really am," answered Jeannie, "and you're really okay?"

"Yep. What about Caleb and Madison?"

Jeannie smiled. "They're… they're great. Madison is acting like normal and…," Jeannie trailed off, and odd emotion filling her body and making her eyes water. She quickly blinked back unexpected tears.

"That's good," John said.

"Yeah," Jeannie began, "So… I don't really think I've had the chance to… thank you yet."

"Yes, you did," said John with an embarrassed grin, "A lot. And you don't need to anyway…"

"Of course I do!" Jeannie interrupted, then paused for a moment as she realized John's growing discomfort. "Just… well, thank you. Thank you, John."

He grinned and nodded, but didn't say anything else. Jeannie wondered if it was time to leave, but thought that would make the situation even stranger. Instead, she brought up a question that had been bothering her lately.

"Did you ever hear what happened to the man?" Jeannie asked. "The gunman, I mean? I think you called him Steve."

"Oh… his name was Alexander Marlow," John said rather quietly, almost as though he felt guilty. This took Jeannie by surprise; she didn't know anything about this man, other than what he had done. She figured that John Sheppard was the type to place blame on himself when it wasn't necessary, but this made no sense at all.

"So he's dead then?" Jeannie said, maybe a little more forceful than she had intended. "There's been nothing about it on the news, other than the obvious. The government's been pretty good at keeping this whole thing out of the media."

"Yeah, he died two nights ago," John answered, still in an odd tone. "He was the father of one of my people," he continued, easing some of the anger that had built up in Jeannie.

"Was he?"

"Yeah. That was the whole reason he did that. He couldn't get a hold of his daughter and the government wouldn't tell him anything, so he… well, he took matters into his own hands," John finished with a weary smile.

This quieted Jeannie; it changed everything. She still couldn't bring herself to like Alexander Marlow, but he wasn't just a heartless man anymore; he was a parent. Jeannie found herself wondering to what extent she would go for her own daughter. Did that make what Marlow did excusable? No one was killed other than the criminal himself. Jeannie sighed as she continued to think about the situation.

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" she said quietly, more to herself than to John.

"Yeah..."

It was the Henry Wallace ordeal all over again. Jeannie never would have imagined she would be in a situation like that ever again; one where she was terrified, and yet still held compassion for the person who caused it.

Silence fell between the two of them as they thought about what happened and the people who were lost. Neither Wallace nor Marlow had been right in their actions, but neither had been bad people either. It made Jeannie feel uneasy. She looked at John, and was surprised to see that he looked even more guilty than before.

"John, it wasn't your fault," she said without really thinking.

He nodded slowly. "I know. It just… kinda sucks."

Jeannie smiled wearily, "Yes. Yes, it does. But if anyone had to go…," she started, but decided not to finish the thought. "Neither seemed like a bad person, but… Well, I just hope they felt better in the end," she said, not feeling good about anything she had just said. The problem was, she didn't know _what _to say. The entire situation was just so… complicated. Were they right, or were they wrong? She just didn't know.

"I've been thinking," John started, his eyes glued to his feet, "you deserve to know something about Henry Wallace."

Jeannie's stomach clenched suddenly. She had wanted to know about the Wallace case before, but not anymore. She couldn't explain it, but she just didn't feel like she needed to know. More than that, John had displayed discomfort on the subject before, and she had no desire to make him uncomfortable again.

"John, it's okay. Really…"

"No, it's not," he interrupted softly. "It didn't occur to me before… but now it seems unfair not to mention…"

Jeannie frowned, not knowing where he was going with this.

"John…"

"It's nothing you didn't expect anyway. At least, I don't think so," John continued, not really addressing Jeannie as much as himself. "Just… well, it wasn't an accident," John said finally, his weary eyes meeting Jeannie's. It was in this moment that Colonel Sheppard looked… old and worn down. It was like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"No one forced him," he added, looking away from Jeannie. "It was the only way… the Wraith was the only one that could save you and… he needed…," he trailed off, his voice quivering very slightly. A moment later, however, John had taken a deep breath and suddenly looked like the strong man that he was again.

"Henry Wallace gave his life for yours," he said, his shaky voice gone completely. "He put your life in danger in the first place. But to pretend like it was an accident, I don't know… it seems… wrong."

Jeannie nodded slowly as she tried to take all of this in. John had been right, though; Jeannie had known it all along, just refused to see it. She didn't like the thought of someone sacrificing their life for hers, but it meant that her daughter could grow up with a mother. The compassion she had for Henry Wallace turned appreciation. John was right; it was not fair to Henry Wallace to cover up his last act of bravery.

She brought her eyes to John's once more, and saw an understanding there. She realized that the secret had been taking its toll on John as well. She thought about him and what he had done during this week, then thought about Henry Wallace, and the sacrifice that he had made. She thought about her parents, and what they had done for her and her brother, and felt tears form in her eyes.

John wasn't the only angel in her life, she decided, looking back at all the people in her life that had made sacrifices for her. No, she had always been in the arms of angels.

* * *

**End.**

Thanks again everyone and I hope the ending wasn't too bad.


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